US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has said the United States has not endorsed a specific candidate in the ongoing race for the next United Nations Secretary-General, but emphasised that the successful candidate must be committed to reforming the global organisation.

Speaking in an interview with PlusBlue, Rubio said Washington had identified two or three candidates it considered highly qualified but would allow the selection process to continue without publicly backing any individual.

“If I told you who the U.S. wanted, it would doom them to lose,” Rubio remarked when asked whether Washington had a preferred candidate.

He added that the United States had expressed its views on the race but was mindful that other countries also have a role in determining who succeeds the current Secretary-General.

Rubio said Washington's main consideration was not the nationality or identity of the next Secretary-General but their commitment to transforming the United Nations.

He argued that the organisation had accumulated excessive bureaucracy, waste and administrative expansion, while losing focus on its founding principles.

“In the end, what we're interested in more than anything else is that it be someone that's committed to UN reform,” he said.

Rubio further questioned the UN's effectiveness in responding to major international crises, arguing that it had not played a sufficiently meaningful role in addressing several major global challenges.

He said the next Secretary-General should continue the reform momentum, warning that the organisation could face serious difficulties if it failed to address its institutional challenges.

Uganda's Olara Otunnu Among Candidates

Rubio's remarks come as the UN moves closer to selecting its tenth Secretary-General, who will take office on January 1, 2027, succeeding António Guterres, whose second term ends on December 31, 2026.

Uganda's candidate, former UN Under-Secretary-General and diplomat Olara Otunnu, is among those seeking the position.

Other candidates include Rafael Mariano Grossi of Argentina, Rebeca Grynspan of Costa Rica, María Fernanda Espinosa Garcés of Ecuador, Ivonne A-Baki of Ecuadorian origin, Carolyn Rodrigues Birkett of Guyana, Lana Zaki Nusseibeh of the United Arab Emirates and Feridun Hadi Sinirlioğlu of Türkiye.

The selection process involves the UN Security Council recommending a candidate to the General Assembly, which makes the formal appointment.

Rubio also clarified that he could not speak for French President Emmanuel Macron regarding their respective positions on the race, although he expressed hope that France shared Washington's commitment to UN reform.

The United States, he said, would continue monitoring the selection process while allowing other UN member states to participate in determining the organisation's next leader.