The starting gun is being fired today in the race to become the next secretary general of the United Nations.
For the first time, member states will get a chance to question the applicants in what the UN describes as "a job interview in front of the whole world".
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Who are the favourites?
Under an informal regional rotation system, the next UN chief is widely expected to be from Eastern Europe. There is also growing pressure for a woman to be appointed to the top job for the first time.
As such, two favourites have emerged, both hailing from Bulgaria.
Kristalina Georgieva is a former vice president of the World Bank and is currently vice president of the European Commission. However, some predict her appointment could be blocked by Russia.
"Moscow won't accept her because she has led the central mechanism that imposed EU sanctions on Russia," says Forbes.
Her main rival is Irina Bokova, who has been director general of Unesco since 2009.
She has made fighting for gender equality in education her personal mission and is a leading champion in the battle against racism and anti-Semitism.
Who else is standing?
Four men and two other women have officially thrown their hats in the ring, according to the Financial Times.
They are: former Moldovan foreign minister Natalia Gherman; former New Zealand prime minster Helen Clark, now head of the UN Development Programme; former Croatian foreign minister Vesna Pucic; Montenegro's foreign minister Igor Luksic; former Slovenian president Danilo Turk, and Portugal's former prime minister Antonio Guterres.
How will the selection process work?
Following a push for greater transparency within the organisation, the selection process will no longer be held behind closed doors.
Each candidate will be presented to the UN's general assembly and then quizzed by representatives of each member state and the press. The public is also invited to submit questions via social media.
"This is a potentially game-changing process, "says Mogens Lykketoft, the president of the general assembly.
The next round of presentations will begin in June, with the Security Council beginning deliberations in July.
-
Can Trump bully Netanyahu into Gaza peace?Today's Big Question The Israeli leader was ‘strong-armed’ into new peace deal
-
‘The Taliban delivers yet another brutal blow’Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
-
Renewables top coal as Trump seeks reversalSpeed Read For the first time, renewable energy sources generated more power than coal, said a new report
-
Russia is ‘helping China’ prepare for an invasion of TaiwanIn the Spotlight Russia is reportedly allowing China access to military training
-
Interpol arrests hundreds in Africa-wide sextortion crackdownIN THE SPOTLIGHT A series of stings disrupts major cybercrime operations as law enforcement estimates millions in losses from schemes designed to prey on lonely users
-
Gaza genocide: will UN ruling change anything?Today's Big Question Commission of inquiry’s findings ‘give unprecedented weight’ to genocide claims
-
Why ‘anti-Islam’ bikers are guarding Gaza aid sitesIn The Spotlight Members of Infidels MC, who regard themselves as modern Crusaders, among private security guards at Gaza Humanitarian Foundation sites
-
UN votes to end Lebanon peacekeeping missionSpeed Read The Trump administration considers the UN's Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) to be a 'waste of money'
-
China is silently expanding its influence in American citiesUnder the Radar New York City and San Francisco, among others, have reportedly been targeted
-
How China uses 'dark fleets' to circumvent trade sanctionsThe Explainer The fleets are used to smuggle goods like oil and fish
-
IAEA: Iran could enrich uranium 'within months'Speed Read The chief United Nations nuclear inspector, Rafael Grossi, says Iran could be enriching uranium again soon
