Grossi Calls the UN Crisis a “Slow Death”
World
Rafael Grossi, Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), said the United Nations is gradually losing its influence and relevance in addressing international crises. He made the assessment in an interview with the Financial Times as the race to select the UN’s next Secretary-General gathers pace.
“I don’t see it [the UN] in immediate danger of dying. I see it as more of a slow death kind of thing,” Grossi said. He argued that the organization has been drifting into irrelevance without making a meaningful contribution to resolving recent crises and interstate wars.
The IAEA chief also expressed frustration with what he described as the UN’s poor results in areas including social programmes and climate change.
Grossi’s comments came as the selection process for a successor to António Guterres moves forward. Guterres’s term as Secretary-General ends on December 31, 2026, while the formal nomination process began in November 2025.
According to the UN, the officially nominated candidates include Grossi, Rebeca Grynspan, María Fernanda Espinosa Garcés, Carolyn Rodrigues Birkett, Macky Sall and Olara Otunnu. Former Chilean President Michelle Bachelet was nominated in February, but Chile later withdrew its support for her candidacy.
In the first informal Security Council straw poll on July 30, Grynspan received 10 “encourage” votes, followed by Rodrigues Birkett with nine and Grossi with seven. The ballot was non-binding.
The next Secretary-General will take charge of the UN amid growing criticism of its ability to respond effectively to international conflicts, political divisions within the Security Council and financial pressures. The Financial Times identified tensions among the five permanent Security Council members — the United States, China, Russia, the United Kingdom and France — as one of the factors contributing to the organization’s current crisis.
The IAEA chief also expressed frustration with what he described as the UN’s poor results in areas including social programmes and climate change.
Grossi’s comments came as the selection process for a successor to António Guterres moves forward. Guterres’s term as Secretary-General ends on December 31, 2026, while the formal nomination process began in November 2025.
According to the UN, the officially nominated candidates include Grossi, Rebeca Grynspan, María Fernanda Espinosa Garcés, Carolyn Rodrigues Birkett, Macky Sall and Olara Otunnu. Former Chilean President Michelle Bachelet was nominated in February, but Chile later withdrew its support for her candidacy.
In the first informal Security Council straw poll on July 30, Grynspan received 10 “encourage” votes, followed by Rodrigues Birkett with nine and Grossi with seven. The ballot was non-binding.
The next Secretary-General will take charge of the UN amid growing criticism of its ability to respond effectively to international conflicts, political divisions within the Security Council and financial pressures. The Financial Times identified tensions among the five permanent Security Council members — the United States, China, Russia, the United Kingdom and France — as one of the factors contributing to the organization’s current crisis.
Powered by Froala Editor