The selection process remains dominated by the Security Council's veto powers, with deep geopolitical divisions and calls for greater transparency and gender equality.
Will the next UN chief serve global interests or just the superpowers?
Is the UN Secretary-General now the world's most impossible job?
With superpower opposition, is the dream of a female UN chief now over?
Can the UN survive its 'race to bankruptcy' regardless of who leads it?
How can a candidate rejected by their own continent hope to lead the world?
Are public UN auditions just theater when five nations hold the real power?