Jewish Woman Whose Parents Fled the Holocaust to Costa Rica: Leading Candidate to Become First Female UN Secretary-General
Rebecca Greenspan, a Costa Rican diplomat and Jewish woman whose parents fled the Holocaust, is the leading candidate to become the first female UN Secretary-General. In a secret Security Council poll, she received ten votes in favor, four neutral, and one against. Her main rival, Carolyn Rodrigues-Birkett, received nine votes in favor. Greenspan heads the UN Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD), a body that has documented the economic damage of the Israeli occupation. Current Secretary-General Guterres will complete his term at the end of 2026.
Rebecca Greenspan, a diplomat from Costa Rica, is the leading candidate to become the first female Secretary-General of the United Nations. She is Jewish; her parents fled the Holocaust from Poland to Central America, and her maternal grandparents were murdered by the Nazis. Greenspan currently heads the UN Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD), a permanent body dealing with trade, investment, and development, and also responsible for calculating the economic damage caused by the Israeli occupation of the territories. The current Secretary-General, António Guterres, will complete his second term on December 31, 2026, and under the regional rotation, his successor is expected to come from Latin America. In a secret Security Council poll, the five permanent and ten non-permanent members were asked to express their views on the seven candidates. Greenspan received ten votes in favor, four neutral, and one against, placing her in a strong starting position. Her main rival, Carolyn Rodrigues-Birkett, former UN ambassador from Guyana, received nine votes in favor, two against, and four neutral. A Western diplomat was quoted in The Guardian saying that Greenspan is seen as a natural candidate due to Guterres's support, but warned of opposing votes from Russia, China, or the US. If elected, she would be the first Jewish person in the role. She has previously used her heritage to advocate for peace in the Middle East, saying in the General Assembly: "Peace is what allowed my parents, two refugees from World War II, to find dignity and self-respect in a small country, Costa Rica. I am a daughter of that peace." Her sister immigrated to Israel at age 17, and her nephews served in the IDF. Under her tenure, UNCTAD published a report in February finding that the Palestinian economy lost $212.2 billion (in 2015 terms) from 2000 to 2024, damage attributed directly to Israeli policies. In November 2015, Greenspan noted that Gaza's GDP per capita had fallen to $161 per year. The selection process is expected to conclude in October, and the new candidate must be elected by the end of the year.