Turkey nominates OSCE chief Sinirlioglu for UN secretary-general

In brief

• Turkey has nominated OSCE head and former UN ambassador Feridun Hadi Sinirlioglu to succeed Antonio Guterres as UN secretary-general.
• Sinirlioglu represented Turkey at the UN from 2016 to 2023 and was elected OSCE secretary general unanimously at the end of 2024.
• The Security Council's secret straw polls have failed to produce a candidate backed by all five permanent members, including a round on Friday.
• Member states favour a woman and, by regional rotation, a candidate from Latin America and the Caribbean; Sinirlioglu meets neither criterion.

The nomination

Turkey has formally nominated Feridun Hadi Sinirlioglu for the post of UN secretary-general, Turkish state media reported on Saturday (Turkey nominates former foreign minister Sinirlioglu as UN chief – France 24) (ЗМІ: Туреччина висунула свого кандидата на посаду генсека ООН – Європейська правда). Sinirlioglu currently heads the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe, a post he has held since being elected unanimously at the end of 2024. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has openly supported the bid (UN-Generalsekretär: Türkei nominiert OSZE-Chef für Guterres-Nachfolge – ZEIT ONLINE).

Diplomatic background

Sinirlioglu represented Turkey at the United Nations from 2016 to 2023 and previously served as foreign minister (Diplomatie - Türkei schickt OSZE-Chef Sinirlioglu ins Rennen um Amt des UNO-Generalsekretärs – Deutschlandfunk). Reports said the Turkish foreign ministry had proposed him as a possible compromise figure, and that the ambassador delivered the formal letter of nomination to UN headquarters in New York on Friday.

A stalled selection process

Guterres leaves office at the end of the year, after almost ten years in the post. The search for his successor has been stuck for months. Fifteen Security Council members have been holding secret straw polls to find a candidate acceptable to the council. A straw poll in mid-October produced no candidate who won the backing of all five permanent members, and another round on Friday also ended without a result. Any candidate the council agrees on must then be approved by the 193-member General Assembly.

Wider pressures

The UN has come under strain as it has been sidelined in conflicts in Iran, Ukraine and Gaza, while a financial crisis has forced deep cuts to humanitarian and development programmes. Member states broadly favour choosing a woman for the first time, and by informal regional rotation the next pick would come from Latin America and the Caribbean. Sinirlioglu fits neither criterion, which is why his nomination is being described as a compromise.