Former Senegalese president Macky Sall appeared before UN member states this week as one of four candidates vying to succeed Secretary-General António Guterres, whose second term ends on 31 December 2025. Sall is the sole African in the field, which also includes Chile's Michelle Bachelet, UN nuclear agency chief Rafael Mariano Grossi of Argentina, and UN trade chief Rebeca Grynspan of Costa Rica — though notably, he was nominated by Burundi rather than his home country, and the African Union declined to back him. The low number of candidates reflects the heightened diplomatic caution surrounding the race, with analysts noting that the deeply polarised global climate means governments fear that a misstep could cause real damage to relations with major powers such as the United States and China, which hold veto power over the appointment via the UN Security Council.