Rick Zedník

Big move: Ex-FMs from Latin America/Caribbean backing Rebeca Grynspan of Costa Rica for UN SecGen "In our previous public statement, those of us who have had the honour of serving as Foreign Ministers of our respective countries expressed our conviction that the time has come for Latin America and the Caribbean to assume the leadership of the United Nations Secretariat and for a woman to hold the position of Secretary-General for the first time in the Organization's eight-decade history. Today, we wish to take a step further. Against a backdrop of deep geopolitical divisions, multiple conflicts and growing challenges to multilateralism, the United Nations needs leadership capable of restoring trust, building consensus and reaffirming the enduring relevance of the principles enshrined in its Charter. In this context, we express our support for the candidacy of Rebeca Grynspan, nominated by Costa Rica, for the position of Secretary-General of the United Nations. Her performance in successive informal consultations of the Security Council, according to publicly reported results that have repeatedly placed her first among the candidates, is a clear indication of the support she has garnered and the strength of her candidacy. Her career combines national political experience, including her service as Vice President of Costa Rica, with a distinguished international career leading multilateral institutions, notably the Ibero-American General Secretariat and the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD). Her knowledge of the multilateral system, negotiating skills and experience in building agreements among countries with diverse perspectives and interests are essential qualities for leading the Organization under current circumstances. We also have confidence in her independence of judgment in exercising a responsibility of universal scope, serving all Member States and upholding the purposes and principles of the Charter. Latin America and the Caribbean have much to contribute to building an international order based on international law, cooperation and the peaceful settlement of disputes. Our region has a long diplomatic tradition and a commitment to multilateralism that are particularly relevant at this moment. The election of a woman from Latin America and the Caribbean would represent a historic milestone. Above all, however, the decision must be grounded in the experience, capabilities and vision of the person entrusted with this responsibility. With full respect for the other candidates, we call upon the governments of Latin America and the Caribbean to unite their support behind Rebeca Grynspan. The time has come to converge around a single candidacy and prevent a fragmentation of efforts from weakening this historic opportunity for our region and for the United Nations. For these reasons, we call upon Member States, particularly those serving on the Security Council, to support Rebeca Grynspan's candidacy. The world needs a United Nations capable of restoring confidence in international cooperation. This election offers an opportunity to move in that direction. Former Ministers of Foreign Affairs of Latin America and the Caribbean November 2026 Francisco Alvarez de Soto, Panama Roberto Alvarez, Dominican Republic Ricardo Alberto Arias, Panama Carolina Barco, Colombia Norman Caldera, Nicaragua Mariano Fernández, Chile Luis Gallegos Chiriboga, Ecuador Diego García-Sayán, Peru Federico González, Paraguay Manuel A. González, Costa Rica María Angela Holguín, Colombia José Miguel Insulza, Chile Samuel Lewis, Panama Eladio Loizaga, Paraguay Susana Malcorra, Argentina María Emma Mejía, Colombia Carlos Raúl Morales, Guatemala Heraldo Muñoz, Chile María Lucía Ramírez, Colombia Claudia Ruiz Massieu, Mexico Isabel de Saint Malo, Panama Bernardo Sepúlveda Amor, Mexico Manuel Tovar, Costa Rica Juan Gabriel Valdés, Chile Alberto van Klaveren, Chile Allan Wagner, Peru