{
  "id": 11236019,
  "title": "Who is leading the race for 'the most impossible job on this Earth'?",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/01/who-is-leading-the-race-for-the-most-impossible-job-on-this-earth",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-10-01T16:18:53.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Middle East Eye",
    "slug": "middle-east-eye",
    "url": "https://www.middleeasteye.net/live-blog/live-blog-update/who-leading-race-most-impossible-job-earth"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "In April 1953, when Trygve Lie met his successor Dag Hammarskjold, the Norwegians were introduced to what was described as the \"most impossible job on this Earth\". More than seven decades later, the United Nations is set to appoint a new Secretary-General, a role that continues to be regarded as one of the most challenging positions in the world. The new secretary-general will be chosen from Latin America, a tradition that has persisted through the past eighty years of the organization's existence. Javier Perez de Cuellar, a Peruvian, was the last Latin American to hold the post, stepping down in 1992. The incoming leader is expected to face an organization struggling with multiple pressures. The United States, the UN's largest contributor, has reduced voluntary funding and withdrawn from the World Health Organization (WHO). Additionally, the organization is grappling with significant financial pressures, unpaid contributions from member states, and a looming liquidity crisis. The UN Security Council has been criticized for its inability to prevent or halt genocides in Gaza, Sudan, and Russia's war on Ukraine under the current leadership of Antonio Guterres. The candidates for the position each have their own agenda, but common themes have emerged, including the need for the UN to be more proactive in preventing potential crises, streamlining its operations, reducing overlapping functions, providing more opportunities for smaller nations to alleviate their debt burdens, and addressing the impact of AI and other technologies on the world.",
  "summary": "Who is leading the race for 'the most impossible job on this Earth'? In April 1953, Norwegian UN Secretary-General Trygve Lie was at New York’s Idlewild Airport to meet his successor. \"Welcome, Dag Hammarskjold , to the most impossible job on this Earth,\" he greeted the Swedish diplomat. Seven decades later, the UN is about to choose the successor to incumbent Secretary-General Antonio Guterres ,…",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}