The Next UN Secretary-General Must Break Not Only the Glass Ceiling, but Also the Culture of Patronage By Shihana Mohamed Copyright © 2026 IPS-Inter Press Service. All rights reserved.

NEW YORK, Jul 13 2026 (IPS) - As the United Nations (UN) Security Council prepares for its first round of closed-door straw polls this month to select the tenth Secretary-General, the organization stands at a critical crossroads. Multilateralism is fracturing under geopolitical gridlock, and the UN is battling a severe budgetary deficit driven by funding cuts. Yet the gravest threat to the institution is not financial; it is cultural. To regain the trust of the global public, the UN urgently needs a radical transformation of its organizational culture, beginning with the selection of candidates for its highest office—the post of UN Secretary-General. This requires dismantling entrenched nepotism, cronyism, patronage, and quid pro quo practices in recruitment, promotion and appointment, and replacing them with a culture grounded in merit, integrity, transparency, and gender equity. https://www.ipsnews.net/2026/07/the-next-un-secretary-general-must-break-not-only-the-glass-ceiling-but-also-the-culture-of-patronage/ Copyright © 2026 IPS-Inter Press Service. All rights reserved.