NEW YORK — Four candidates seeking to become the next United Nations Secretary-General spent hours this past week being questioned by U.N. ambassadors at U.N. headquarters in New York. General Assembly President Annalena Baerbock presided over the question-and-answer sessions with Chile's Michelle Bachelet, Argentina's Rafael Grossi, Costa Rica's Rebeca Grynspan and Senegal's Macky Sall.

The next Secretary-General will succeed António Guterres on Jan. 1. By tradition, the position rotates by region, and this year it is Latin America's turn. The U.N. Security Council, composed of 15 members and including five veto-wielding members, will select the next Secretary-General, and the 193-member General Assembly must give final approval.

"This role matters," Baerbock said. "The secretary-general is not only the head of the U.N. and the world's top diplomat — she or he also represents all 8 billion of us, defending the U.N. Charter and leading on peace, development, human rights."

All four candidates said they would focus on the United Nations' pillars of peace, development and human rights and pledged to pursue reforms. They noted that the institution has not been able to prevent conflicts in Iran, Gaza, Ukraine and Sudan due to deep divisions among member states.

Bachelet, 74, has served twice as president of Chile and was a U.N. human rights chief. Grossi, 65, is a former Argentine diplomat and has served as director-general of the International Atomic Energy Agency since 2019. Grynspan, 65, served as Costa Rica's vice president and has been secretary-general of the U.N. Conference on Trade and Development since 2021. Sall, 64, served as president of Senegal for 12 years.

Grossi said the next U.N. chief must visit global hot spots. Sall said the U.N. Charter does not bar any candidates and argued that after a secretary-general from the global north, the next chief should be from the global south. Sall was the only candidate to prompt demonstrations outside U.N. headquarters, both for and against his candidacy. He has been accused of corruption, a charge he denies.

Twenty-eight Republican members of the U.S. House sent a letter calling Bachelet a "pro-abortion zealot" and asked the U.S. Secretary of State to veto her candidacy. Bachelet said the issue of abortion policy is controversial and that she respects every country's right to decide on the matter.

Susana Malcorra, former Argentine foreign minister and senior U.N. official, leads the global advocacy group GWL Voices, which has been campaigning for the next U.N. chief to be a woman.

"The four candidates tried to walk a political tightrope," said Daniel Forti, head of U.N. affairs at the International Crisis Group. "It is not immediately obvious whether any candidate did enough to propel themselves ahead of the others, or to ward off potential challengers who might emerge later," he said.