The race for the next UN Secretary-General reached the Gulf this week. On Thursday 9 July in Manama, President Macky Sall was received by Bahrain's Minister of Foreign Affairs, Dr Abdullatif bin Rashid Alzayani.

The candidate confirmed the meeting on his social platforms, describing constructive exchanges on the challenges of multilateralism, the dialogue of civilizations, the reform of the United Nations, and the need to revitalize the Organization's role in conflict prevention and peaceful settlement.

Manama is not an isolated stop. In ten days, President Macky Sall has met China's top diplomat Wang Yi in Beijing, Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis in Athens, and, in New York, the permanent representatives of China, the United States and France to the United Nations. Four regions, one message: a reformed, effective UN that rebuilds trust among member states.

The dialogue of civilizations holds a central place in this approach. For the candidate, the world's great challenges, from peace and security to artificial intelligence, cannot be settled among a few capitals. They require listening to every region, every culture, every member state, large and small. That is the role of a facilitator and bridge-builder Secretary-General, as described in his official vision statement filed with the United Nations.

The calendar is pressing. According to the Security Council Report, Council members are continuing their private consultations with candidates in July, ahead of the first straw polls expected in the last week of the month. Six candidates are competing to succeed António Guterres, whose term ends on 31 December 2026.

President Macky Sall is the only declared African candidate in the race. No African has led the Organization since Boutros Boutros-Ghali, thirty years ago. His July sequence illustrates his method: speaking to everyone, region after region, without exclusivity or alignment.

Manama adds one more stone to that edifice, two weeks before a decisive milestone.

The full vision statement is available at www.mackysall.net.