Rafael Grossi, candidate for UN Secretary-General: 'Member states are not ready to indefinitely fund institutional proliferation within the UN'

Rafael Grossi, the current director of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), has announced his candidacy for the position of UN Secretary-General. With nearly four decades of diplomatic experience in disarmament and nuclear non-proliferation, Grossi, a 65-year-old Argentinian, is a prominent figure in international affairs.

Grossi, who has led the IAEA since 2019, is pursuing what many describe as "the world's most impossible job." An alumnus of the Graduate Institute of International and Development Studies in Geneva, he possesses intimate knowledge of the international diplomatic scene. He is competing for the role against four women and one other man, including Michelle Bachelet and Macky Sall.

In an interview with Le Temps, Grossi explained his motivations for seeking the UN's top post. He expressed a belief that UN member states are not prepared to continue indefinitely financing the institutional proliferation that has occurred within the organization.

His candidacy adds another contender to a race that includes notable figures such as former Chilean President Michelle Bachelet, Costa Rican diplomat Rebeca Grynspan, Ecuadorian minister María Fernanda Espinosa, and Senegalese President Macky Sall.