The race for the next UN Secretary-General raises a simple question: when did an African last lead the United Nations? The answer is a date. On 31 December 2006, Kofi Annan completed his second term. No African has held the office since.
Nine Secretaries-General have served since 1946. Two came from Africa: Egypt's Boutros Boutros-Ghali (1992-1996) and Ghana's Kofi Annan (1997-2006). Yet the continent is home to 54 of the Organisation's 193 member states and some 1.5 billion people. A large share of the Security Council's agenda concerns Africa.
This is not an argument about turns. It is an argument about representation. An organisation that reflects the world it serves is stronger, more legitimate and better heard. That is the meaning of President Macky Sall's candidacy: Africa at its heart, the world in its sights.
The candidacy rests on singular experience. Twelve years leading a stable, democratic state. The chairmanship of a continental organisation in 2022, at a time of global crises. A steady dialogue with every major power, from Washington to Beijing. A clear programme anchored in the Charter: conflict prevention, institutional reform, effective UN action.
The calendar is accelerating. Since 30 June, the Security Council has been holding private consultations with the candidates. The first straw polls are expected in the last week of July. The final decision will rest with the General Assembly, for a term beginning on 1 January 2027. On that day, exactly twenty years will have passed since Kofi Annan's departure.
President Macky Sall continues his exchanges with member states, capital after capital: Beijing, Athens, New York, Manama, Islamabad. Everywhere, the same message: a United Nations that is effective, respected and true to its Charter.