The former president of Senegal, Macky Sall, announced this Saturday that he is abandoning his aspiration for the Secretary-General of the United Nations, after holding conversations with the presidents of Burundi, Évariste Ndayishimiye, and Senegal, Bassirou Diomaye Faye. With this step, he aims to facilitate the election in the Security Council of a "consensus" option.
Sall has indicated that his resignation is due to a "deep sense of responsibility" and the desire to promote an understanding among the members of the body that must propose the next highest official of the organization.
In his message, signed in Marrakech, the former head of state pointed out that the successive polling votes conducted since the beginning of the process show a tendency towards a candidate from Latin America and the Caribbean and, eventually, towards a woman.
The Senegalese leader recalled that his project responded, above all, to the intention of putting "(his) experience of almost 40 years of public life at the service of the United Nations" and expressed his gratitude to Ndayishimiye —current president of the African Union— and to Faye —current leader of ECOWAS— for the support provided.
He also thanked the backing of the member states of the Security Council that have given him their vote in the different phases of the process, and praised the "faith and determination" of his campaign team during these months.
Sall has extended this recognition to the religious and traditional authorities for their prayers and gestures of solidarity, as well as to the Senegalese citizenry, militants, supporters, political formations, and civil society organizations from "friendly" African countries and other regions that have accompanied him since he made his candidacy public.
Demand for profound changes in the United Nations
Although he takes a step back in the race for the Secretary-General, Sall has reiterated his concern for the current global scenario and has defended the urgency of adapting the UN to contemporary challenges. He mentioned the increase in conflicts, the escalation of geopolitical tensions, the fragmentation of the international system, and the emergence of unprecedented economic and financial difficulties.
In this context, he emphasized that the United Nations must undertake "a profound transformation of its working methods and functioning."
The former president has also called for a much greater weight of Africa in global decision-making, in light of its central role in matters of peace, security, and development. He has insisted that the continent must continue to make its voice heard and persevere until achieving "the place that corresponds to it in global governance."
Finally, Sall has clarified that his withdrawal does not imply renouncing the principles that inspired his candidacy and has emphasized that he remains "fully committed" to peace, security, economic and social development, international cooperation, and dialogue between nations.
The announcement comes after an informal vote held this Friday in the UN Security Council to gauge support for the candidates to succeed the Portuguese António Guterres, whose mandate ends in late 2026. None of the seven candidates managed to overcome the veto of at least one of the members of the body.