We and our partners do the following data processing based on your consent: store and/or access information on a device, personalised advertising and content, advertising and content measurement, audience research and services development Turkey nominates former foreign minister Sinirlioglu as UN chief Turkey has nominated its former foreign minister and UN ambassador Feridun Hadi Sinirlioglu for the position of UN secretary-general, state-media reported on Saturday. The submission was officially backed by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan who has been particularly vocal in calling for reform of the UN Security Council. File - OSCE Secretary General Feridun Sinirlioglu attends a joint news conference with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov after their talks in Moscow on March 11, 2025. © Maxim Shemetov, Turkey has officially nominated a former foreign minister and yearslong ambassador to the United Nations for the next UN secretary-general, state-run media reported Saturday.
The next UN chief will succeed Antonio Guterres, who has led the world body for almost 10 years. The organisation is under pressure to reform as it finds itself sidelined in wars in Iran, Ukraine and Gazawhile also facing a financial crisis that has forced major cuts to humanitarian and development programs. Feridun Sinirlioglu, a 70-year-old former Turkish foreign minister and UN diplomat, had floated his candidacy on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly’s high-level meeting in New York last month.
Read moreEmirati diplomat could become next UN chief despite human rights concerns Sinirlioglu was Turkey's top diplomat for a few months in 2015, an interim period between elections, and its UN ambassador between 2016 and 2023. He currently serves as the secretary-general of the Vienna-based Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe. His current three-year mandate is scheduled to end in December 2027, but the top UN job would have a January 1 start date.
Ahmet Yildiz, Turkey’s current representative to the UN, told the Anadolu news agency that Sinirlioglu's name was officially submitted with backing from Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. Erdogan has been vocal in calling for reform of the UN Security Council, especially criticizing the dominance of its five permanent members. Sinirlioglu is likely to reflect the president’s agenda.
The next UN secretary-general will be decided by the 15-nation UN Security Council, especially its five veto-wielding members – the United States, Russia, China, Britain and France. The 193-member General Assembly must give final approval. Read moreWho are the eight candidates running to succeed Antonio Guterres as UN chief?
Sinirlioglu will likely face obstacles from several corners, including Turkey's neighbor Greece, which is one of the 10 elected members of the Security Council. Pushback also would be expected from Israel, a close ally of the US. Seven other candidates are vying to replace Guterres as he finishes his second five-year term.
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