In the News
Campaign news
The milestones of the campaign for the UN Secretariat, documented and dated.
October 4, 2026
Macky Sall at the UN: social protection for all
Nearly half of humanity receives no social benefit. Macky Sall wants social protection to become a foundation of global stability.
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Macky Sall at the UN: saving antibiotics
Resistant bacteria already kill more than a million people a year. Macky Sall wants the UN to defend antibiotics before they run out.
Macky Sall at the UN: non-violence as a method
On 2 October, Gandhi's birthday, the UN marks non-violence. Macky Sall recalls that the Charter gives the first word to negotiation.
Macky Sall at the UN: human rights, without exception
Thirty articles, no exemption for any country: the Universal Declaration applies to all. Macky Sall wants a Secretary-General free to say so to every state.
Macky Sall at the UN: rules written by every state
A month of positions on debt, health, digital technology, peace and climate defends one demand: rules written by all those they govern. President Macky Sall carries it to the United Nations.
Macky Sall at the UN: preventing natural disasters
Natural disasters cost hundreds of billions of dollars a year and strike first those who have least. President Macky Sall backs the goal of an early warning for every inhabitant of the planet.
Macky Sall at the UN: South-South cooperation, a rising force
More than half of developing countries' trade takes place among themselves. President Macky Sall wants South-South cooperation to count in global governance in proportion to its economic weight.
Macky Sall at the UN: completing decolonisation
Seventeen territories still appear on the United Nations list of non-self-governing territories. President Macky Sall holds decolonisation to be an unfinished mission of the Organization and writes it into his candidacy.
Macky Sall at the UN: speaking to the world in its languages
The United Nations works in six official languages in a world that speaks thousands. President Macky Sall makes multilingualism a principle of governance, so that every state carries equal weight.
Macky Sall at the UN: development aid, a promise to keep
Since 1970, wealthy countries have promised 0.7% of their income to development aid; almost none deliver, and aid is falling. President Macky Sall wants that commitment to become an obligation again.
Macky Sall at the UN: protecting privacy in the age of data
More than 130 countries have a personal data law, and billions of people still live without protection. President Macky Sall wants to make that protection a global rule.
Macky Sall at the UN: mental health, a forgotten front
Close to one person in eight lives with a mental disorder, according to the WHO, and most go without care in the least-equipped countries. President Macky Sall wants mental health among the Organization's priorities.
Macky Sall at the UN: children, the first victims of wars
Close to one child in five worldwide lives in a conflict zone or is fleeing one, according to UNICEF. President Macky Sall wants their protection to bind every party at war.
Macky Sall at the UN: peace, a culture to pass on
Every 21 September, the United Nations marks the International Day of Peace. President Macky Sall wants states to report what their schools teach children about the neighbour and the foreigner.
Macky Sall at the UN: protecting heritage in time of war
The mausoleums of Timbuktu were brought down with pickaxes in 2012. President Macky Sall wants the protection of cultural heritage to count among the duties of collective security.
Macky Sall at the UN: outer space, a commons to govern
More than ten thousand active satellites orbit above our heads, and the rules that govern them date from 1967. President Macky Sall wants a governance of space that gives a voice to most countries.
Macky Sall at the UN: uniting young and ageing countries
The number of people over 65 will double by 2050, while Africa remains the youngest continent on the planet. President Macky Sall wants to make demography a field of cooperation between nations.
Macky Sall at the UN: electricity for all, a condition of development
Close to 700 million people live without electricity, and more than two billion still cook with wood or charcoal. President Macky Sall wants to make access to energy a global priority.
Macky Sall at the UN: liveable cities for an urban humanity
Close to two-thirds of humanity will live in cities by 2050, and about one billion people already live in precarious neighbourhoods. President Macky Sall wants to make urbanisation an engine of development.
Macky Sall at the UN: protecting nature, a global commitment
Close to one million animal and plant species face extinction, according to IPBES. President Macky Sall backs the global goal of protecting 30% of land and sea by 2030.
Macky Sall at the UN: development banks worthy of the need
A G20 review established in 2022 that the multilateral banks could lend hundreds of billions of dollars more. President Macky Sall backs their reform to finance development and climate.
Macky Sall at the UN: women, agents of peace
Adopted in 2000, Resolution 1325 calls for women to be brought into peace processes, from which they are still kept away. President Macky Sall wants the women, peace and security agenda finally applied.
Macky Sall at the UN: protecting the high seas, a global commons
Two-thirds of the ocean lie beyond any national jurisdiction and almost any rule. President Macky Sall backs the treaty adopted in 2023, which should at last make it possible to protect the high seas.
Macky Sall at the UN: reviving nuclear disarmament
The world holds more than 12,000 nuclear weapons, and the treaties meant to reduce them are weakening. President Macky Sall wants disarmament back at the heart of collective security.
Macky Sall at the UN: a shared governance of migration
Most people who migrate do so to work, and poorly governed mobility feeds trafficking. President Macky Sall defends safe, orderly and regular migration, built on cooperation between states.
Macky Sall at the UN: diaspora remittances, a flow to protect
Remittances to low- and middle-income countries reached about US$ 685 billion in 2024, and sending US$ 100 still costs nearly US$ 6 in fees. President Macky Sall wants to bring that price down.
Macky Sall at the UN: universal health coverage, a global undertaking
About 4.5 billion people, nearly half of humanity, are not fully covered by essential health services. President Macky Sall wants to make universal health coverage a priority of development.
Macky Sall at the UN: against illicit financial flows, a fairer global tax order
Developing countries lose more each year to illicit flows and tax avoidance than they receive in aid. President Macky Sall backs international tax cooperation decided by all.
Macky Sall at the UN: artificial intelligence and the future of work
Generative AI will transform more jobs than it eliminates, according to the ILO, and the countries with the youngest populations are the most exposed. President Macky Sall wants a transition that protects workers.
Macky Sall at the UN: sharing the means of AI
Artificial intelligence rests on three scarce resources, computing power, data and energy, concentrated in few hands. President Macky Sall wants access to them written into the global governance of AI.
Macky Sall at the UN: the office of Secretary-General, as it is
Opening its presidency of the Security Council on 1 September 2026, France recalled what the office of Secretary-General entails. Macky Sall's candidacy answers each of its parts in turn.
Macky Sall at the UN: restraining the veto in the face of mass atrocities
When civilians are being killed, a single vote can paralyse the Security Council. President Macky Sall backs the commitments that suspend the veto in the face of mass atrocities.
Macky Sall at the UN: preparing together for the next pandemic
During the last health crisis, each state protected itself on its own while the virus crossed borders. President Macky Sall wants global health preparedness that leaves no country behind.
Macky Sall at the UN: reforming the global financial architecture
In 2023, developing countries paid a record US$ 1.4 trillion to service their debt. President Macky Sall places the reform of the global financial architecture at the heart of his candidacy.
Macky Sall at the UN: peace and development, one and the same effort
Peacekeepers are often deployed where schools and jobs were missing years earlier. President Macky Sall defends a peace built together with development from the very start.
Macky Sall at the UN: funding climate action to match the need
The countries that weighed least in emissions are the first to face droughts and floods, and they are still waiting for the finance they were promised. President Macky Sall wants payments to match the pledges at last.
Macky Sall at the UN: a multilateralism that listens to the Global South
The rules of global governance were written in 1945, when most of today's states had no seat. President Macky Sall wants a multilateralism where the Global South's numbers finally translate into a voice.
Next UN Secretary-General: the digital world as a common good
Open digital building blocks, for proving identity, paying or exchanging data, can serve every country. President Macky Sall argues for a digital world that is shared and governed in common.
Macky Sall carries the AI question to the World Government Summit
On 27 August 2026, in the United Arab Emirates, President Macky Sall debated the future of global leadership and placed artificial intelligence among the questions that call for common rules.
Next UN Secretary-General: connectivity, a right of the century
About 2.6 billion people, a third of humanity, still live offline. President Macky Sall makes access to the internet a condition of both development and equality.
Next UN Secretary-General: defending the integrity of information
In 2024, the United Nations published Global Principles for Information Integrity. President Macky Sall makes the integrity of information a condition of peace and democracy.
Next UN Secretary-General: peace is now fought in cyberspace
A cyberattack can paralyse a hospital or a power grid without a shot being fired. President Macky Sall wants common rules for this new field of conflict, negotiated among states.
Next UN Secretary-General: the diaspora, Africa's first resource
Each year, remittances from the African diaspora exceed the public aid the continent receives. President Macky Sall makes them a lever of development and a bridge to the world.
Next UN Secretary-General: global rules for artificial intelligence
In September 2024, the UN adopted a Global Digital Compact. President Macky Sall wants global governance of artificial intelligence before a few set the rules for all.
Next UN Secretary-General: the candidacy climbs the ranking
At the Security Council's second straw poll on 21 August, President Macky Sall's candidacy gains a place, rises to fourth and halves its gap with the front of the race.
Next UN Secretary-General: an Africa that trades with itself
About 15% of African countries' trade takes place within the continent itself. President Macky Sall makes the integration of Africa a lever of peace and prosperity.
Next UN Secretary-General: water, a question of peace
In March 2022, Dakar hosted the ninth World Water Forum, the first held in sub-Saharan Africa. President Macky Sall defends access to water as a condition of security and development.
Next UN Secretary-General: feeding Africa, a question of peace
In 2022, the rise in wheat and fertiliser prices caused by the war in Ukraine struck African countries with no part in the conflict. President Macky Sall makes food sovereignty a question of security.
African civil society organizations rally in Cotonou for Macky Sall
On 14 August in Cotonou, civil society organizations from four regions of Africa launched a drive in support of President Macky Sall's candidacy for UN Secretary-General.
Next UN Secretary-General: the first Olympic Games in Africa
From 31 October to 13 November 2026, Dakar hosts the first Youth Olympic Games held on African soil. President Macky Sall secured them for the continent in 2018.
Next UN Secretary-General: an energy transition rooted in reality
In June 2023, Senegal signed one of the world's first just energy transition partnerships, backed by 2.5 billion euros of financing. President Macky Sall draws from it a method for the United Nations.
Next UN Secretary-General: education, peace's first investment
Awarded an honorary doctorate in Brazzaville on 13 August, President Macky Sall makes education, which forms a country's citizens, workers and professionals, the first investment in lasting peace.
Macky Sall made doctor honoris causa in Brazzaville
On 13 August 2026, the Denis Sassou Nguesso University in Kintélé, near Brazzaville, conferred the rank of doctor honoris causa on President Macky Sall for his contribution to Senegal's education system.
Next UN Secretary-General: making its own vaccines, a sovereignty
Africa produced about 1% of the vaccines it uses and waited its turn during the pandemic. President Macky Sall defends the African goal of 60% local production by 2040 as a question of sovereignty.
Next UN Secretary-General: adaptation, a debt of justice
Africa is home to nearly one fifth of humanity and accounts for less than 3% of the world's energy-related CO2 emissions. President Macky Sall defends its adaptation, with figures and dates to back it.
Next UN Secretary-General: Africa's voice at the world's table
By 2050, one person in four on the planet will be African, and the African Union has sat at the G20 since 2023. President Macky Sall wants Africa to weigh on decisions in proportion to its size.
Next UN Secretary-General: Africa's youth, a chance for the world
By 2050, one young person in three worldwide will live in Africa. President Macky Sall makes the training and employment of that generation a condition of global stability, and a question of peace.
Next UN Secretary-General: climate is a question of peace
In the Sahel, arable land is retreating, water points are growing scarce and competition for what remains feeds conflict. President Macky Sall treats climate disruption as a factor of security.
Next UN Secretary-General: a Secretariat that accounts for itself
The UN Secretariat employs tens of thousands of staff and spends funds entrusted by member states. President Macky Sall wants transparent management of those funds and recruitment based on merit.
Next UN Secretary-General: a permanent seat for Africa
On the Security Council, a continent of more than a billion people deliberates without a permanent seat. President Macky Sall defends Council reform and the Ezulwini Consensus, adopted by the African Union in 2005.
Next UN Secretary-General: finance development, prevent crisis
A state that devotes a growing share of its revenue to its debt, at the expense of its schools, prepares its own instability. President Macky Sall ranks development finance among the questions of security.
Next UN Secretary-General: listen to those who deploy
Countries that supply soldiers and police to peace operations bear the losses, then carry out mandates written without them. President Macky Sall proposes to consult them before the drafting starts.
Next UN Secretary-General: peace built through regions
For eighty years, Chapter VIII of the Charter has given regional organizations a share of peace. President Macky Sall proposes to give them the predictable funding they lack.
Macky Sall at the UN: a Secretariat accountable for execution
A share of the texts the General Assembly adopts comes to nothing. President Macky Sall defends a Secretariat that answers for execution and serves all 193 member states equally.
UN: the final stretch before the first straw poll
The Security Council's first straw poll is expected at the end of July. After Bogotá and Moscow, President Macky Sall's campaign is concentrating on bilateral consultations.
Africa's UN bid: turning legitimacy into influence
As the only African candidate for UN Secretary-General, President Macky Sall carries a continental legitimacy that the Security Council phase must convert into support.
Next UN Secretary-General: the Council phase opens
After the six candidates' town hall, the race for the next UN Secretary-General moves to the Security Council, whose fifteen members hold their first straw polls at the end of July.
UN campaign: Macky Sall received in Bogotá by Gustavo Petro
On 24 July, at the Casa de Nariño, Colombian President Gustavo Petro received President Macky Sall, candidate for UN Secretary-General, for talks on the future of multilateralism.
UN candidates' town hall: the Macky Sall vision
On 23 July, before member states gathered in the General Assembly, President Macky Sall made the case for an impartial UN, preventive diplomacy and the restoration of trust.
UN Security Council straw polls: the decisive week
Ahead of the UN Security Council straw polls, President Macky Sall makes the case before all member states, alongside the five other candidates, for an inclusive, action-oriented United Nations.
Next UN Secretary-General: a UN geared for action
Ahead of the candidates' town hall organised with Bloomberg, President Macky Sall, a candidate to become the next UN Secretary-General, champions an inclusive, action-oriented UN that listens to every state.
Senegal gives its official support to Macky Sall
After the 17 July audience, President Bassirou Diomaye Faye decided that Senegal would give its full support to President Macky Sall's UN candidacy, made official on 20 July.
Macky Sall in Moscow: talks with Sergey Lavrov
In Moscow on 20 July, President Macky Sall held talks with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, completing his consultations with the five permanent members of the Security Council.
Macky Sall thanks Presidents Faye and Barrow
On 20 July, President Macky Sall thanked Presidents Bassirou Diomaye Faye and Adama Barrow, who had received him on 17 July in Dakar and Banjul, closing the West African sequence.
Macky Sall received in Banjul by President Adama Barrow
Gambian President Adama Barrow received President Macky Sall at State House in Banjul for talks on African unity and on the candidacy for Secretary-General of the United Nations.
Macky Sall in Dakar: the fervour and the palace audience
On Friday 17 July, from the airport to the presidential palace, Dakar gave President Macky Sall a triumphant welcome before his audience with President Bassirou Diomaye Faye.
Straw polls: how the United Nations picks its chief
The 23 July Town Hall comes before the Security Council's straw polls, expected in late July, and a recommendation in the autumn: this is how the next UN Secretary-General will be chosen.
UN Secretary-General 2026: running the UN well
One week before the 23 July town hall at the General Assembly, President Macky Sall sets out the third pillar of his vision: rationalise, simplify and optimise the running of the United Nations.
Next UN Secretary-General: a July of consultations
With consultations open since 30 June, President Macky Sall is approaching the decisive month of the UN Secretary-General race through dialogue with member states.
UN Secretary-General race: talks with Somalia's President
On Monday 13 July, President Macky Sall announced talks with Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud, whose country sits on the Security Council as an elected member for 2025-2026.
Next UN Secretary-General: Africa, twenty years on
No African has led the UN since Kofi Annan left office on 31 December 2006. President Macky Sall's candidacy raises again the question of the continent's representation.
Macky Sall in Mecca: an Umrah between campaign stops
On Saturday 11 July, between Islamabad and the next leg of his tour, President Macky Sall performed the Umrah in Mecca. Senegal is often cited as an example for its religious dialogue.
Next UN Secretary-General: Macky Sall in Islamabad
On Friday 10 July in Islamabad, Pakistan's Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif received President Macky Sall for talks on multilateralism, peacekeeping and the reform of the United Nations.
Next UN Secretary-General: Manama joins the map
On Thursday 9 July in Manama, President Macky Sall was received by Bahrain's foreign minister and discussed multilateralism, the dialogue of civilisations and the reform of the United Nations.
Next UN Secretary-General: the case for UN reform
Two weeks before the Security Council's first straw polls, the second pillar of President Macky Sall's vision sets out how to renew multilateralism and reform the Security Council.
Macky Sall UN bid: talks with three permanent members
On 6 July in New York, President Macky Sall held talks with the Permanent Representatives of China, the United States and France on UN reform and multilateralism.
Next UN Secretary-General: Prevention Comes First
In July 2026, the Security Council debates the peaceful settlement of disputes. Crisis prevention forms the first pillar of President Macky Sall's official vision for the United Nations.
Macky Sall Trump UN: Interview Shared from Washington
On 5 July 2026, President Donald Trump shared on Truth Social the interview President Macky Sall gave to Breitbart News on reforming the United Nations and reducing its costs.
Next UN Secretary-General: Macky Sall's Official Vision
With the Security Council's first indicative votes 18 days away, President Macky Sall's official vision proposes to rebuild multilateralism around three pillars.
Macky Sall UN Campaign: Partnerships Forged in June
In one month, from Paris on 2 June to Athens on 2 July, President Macky Sall met four members of the Security Council, including two permanent members, ahead of the first indicative votes.
Macky Sall Guterres: Three Years After the 2023 Tribute
On 4 July 2023, António Guterres praised the statesmanship of President Macky Sall. Three years later, that tribute sheds light on his candidacy to lead the United Nations.
Macky Sall Greece UN: Talks with PM Mitsotakis in Athens
On 2 July 2026 in Athens, Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis received President Macky Sall, and both sides noted converging views on the role of the United Nations.
Macky Sall China UN: Meeting with Wang Yi in Beijing
On 29 June 2026 in Beijing, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi received President Macky Sall for talks on multilateralism and the central role of the United Nations in world affairs.
80 Years of the UN Charter: the Compass
Eighty years after the Charter was signed in San Francisco, President Macky Sall holds it to be the compass of the UN and proposes to renew the Organization on its 1945 foundations.
Macky Sall UN Reform: Interviews with the US Press
In an exclusive interview published in the American press on 21 June 2026, President Macky Sall sets out his UN reform: leaner structures, simpler mandates and lower costs.
Macky Sall Jeju Forum: Dialogue for Peace in Asia
In late June 2026, President Macky Sall travelled to South Korea for the Jeju Forum for Peace and Prosperity, where candidates for UN Secretary-General were invited to speak.
Humanitarian Crisis Prevention: the UN's Priority
More than 120 million people are displaced worldwide. On World Refugee Day, President Macky Sall proposes that the UN tackle the causes of displacement through the prevention of humanitarian crises.
Macky Sall Latvia UN: Meeting with Baiba Braže
On 17 June 2026, President Macky Sall met Baiba Braže, Latvia's Minister of Foreign Affairs, whose country sits on the UN Security Council as an elected member, to discuss UN reform.
Ukraine-Russia Mediation: the Macky Sall Method
On 3 June 2022 in Sochi, President Macky Sall pleaded for the release of grain and fertilizer stocks for Africa. Four years on, that mediation sums up the method of a bridge-builder.
Great Green Wall: Macky Sall's Climate Record
On 5 June, World Environment Day: 12 million trees planted in Senegal during President Macky Sall's tenure. The Great Green Wall and climate justice shape his vision for the United Nations.
Macky Sall Macron UN: Talks at the Élysée Palace
On 2 June 2026 in Paris, President Emmanuel Macron received President Macky Sall at the Élysée Palace for talks devoted to his candidacy for Secretary-General of the United Nations.
Macky Sall Nizami Ganjavi: tribute to Rovshan Muradov
On 3 June 2026, President Macky Sall paid tribute to Rovshan Muradov, Secretary General of the Nizami Ganjavi International Center in Baku, whom he hailed as a craftsman of the dialogue of cultures.
An African Permanent Seat on the Security Council
On 25 May, Africa Day, President Macky Sall calls for African permanent seats on the Security Council, on behalf of a continent of 1.4 billion people that has never held one.
Gender Parity at the UN: A Verifiable Track Record
Under President Macky Sall, the share of women in Senegal's National Assembly rose from 22.7% to 42.7%. That record grounds his commitment to gender parity at every level of the United Nations.
Pillar III: UN Management Reform
Final article in the series "The Vision in 3 Acts": for a UN that sets the example in its own management, President Macky Sall proposes to streamline mandates, simplify procedures and optimise resources.
UN Digital Transformation: A Clear Roadmap
On 17 May, World Telecommunication Day, President Macky Sall sets out his plan for the digital transformation of the UN and for inclusive global governance of artificial intelligence.
Why Macky Sall UN: the Brazzaville Foundation op-ed
On 15 May 2026, Jeune Afrique published an op-ed by the president of the Brazzaville Foundation, "Why Macky Sall must lead the UN". The author grounds his case in the candidate's experience.
Pillar II: Security Council Reform
Second article in the series "The Vision in 3 Acts": faced with a Security Council designed in 1945 for 51 nations, President Macky Sall calls for realistic, consensus-based reform.
Pillar I: No Peace Without Development
First article in the series "The Vision in 3 Acts": Pillar I of President Macky Sall's vision binds peace, security and sustainable development, and makes prevention the first priority of the United Nations.
UN Secretary-General selection 2026: the timeline
In May 2026 the Security Council Report published the timeline to succeed António Guterres, up to the new term on 1 January 2027. President Macky Sall is approaching each stage with method.