The United Nations has to try to contribute to the efforts to end the conflict in Ukraine, Rebeca Grynspan, head of the UN Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) and a candidate to lead the United Nations, told RIA Novosti.

 

"I think that the UN will have to try. We have to try and convince (the sides) that it has something to bring to the (negotiating) table," Grynspan said when asked how she would contribute to the Ukrainian peace process, if elected.

 

Grynspan said at the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF) last week that she was ready to work with Russia and called dialogue with the one of the five UN core nations crucial for the organisation. She also said she would work toward achieving peace in Ukraine, if elected.

 

The term of the sitting UN Secretary General, Antonio Guterres, expires on December 31. The process is under way to select and appoint his successor. The next Secretary General will assume the role in January 2027 and will serve

a five-year term, which can be renewed for an additional five years.

 

Grynspan will compete for the top UN job with four other hopefuls: International Atomic Energy Agency chief Rafael Grossi, former Chilean President Michelle Bachelet, former Senegalese President Macky Sall, and former Ecuadorian Foreign Minister Maria Fernanda Espinosa.

 

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