Greece will assume the presidency of the UN Security Council on October 1, for the second and final time during its two-year term as an elected member of the Council for the period 2025–2026. This follows Greece’s previous presidency in May 2025, and the country’s term on the Council ends on December 31. The presidency will be held by Greece’s Permanent Representative to the UN, Ambassador Aglaia Balta.
Greece is taking on the responsibility of managing the work of the UN’s most important body for international peace and security at a time when major issues remain unresolved, relations among the Permanent Members continue to be marked by deep disagreements, and the Council’s ability to formulate common responses is being tested by a series of crises. The presidency does not, of course, give the country holding it the ability to unilaterally determine the Council’s decisions or policy.
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The president presides over meetings and closed-door consultations, represents the Council, and, under the authority of the 15 members, manages its work program and day-to-day operations.
Ukraine remains at the forefront of international crises. At the Council’s most recent high-level meeting on September 23, Deputy Secretary-General Rosemary DiCarlo warned that the war is entering a “dangerous new phase,” with intensifying attacks, rising civilian casualties, and a greater risk of regional spillover. According to the UN, in the first eight months of 2026 alone, more civilians were killed or injured in Ukraine than in all of 2025. At the same time, concerns are growing about attacks on energy infrastructure as winter approaches, as well as about incidents near borders and nuclear facilities.
The situation in the Middle East remains equally complex. In Gaza, nearly a year after the October 2025 ceasefire, the UN describes the truce as fragile. Israeli strikes continue, the humanitarian and economic situation remains extremely difficult, and the implementation of Security Council Resolution 2803 on transitional arrangements and the recovery of Gaza has not been completed. At the same time, the UN reports a deterioration of the situation in the West Bank, with increased violence, the expansion of settlements, displacements, and a deep fiscal crisis within the Palestinian Authority.
Of even more immediate concern to the Greek presidency is the crisis surrounding Iran and the Strait of Hormuz. On September 30, Tehran confirmed that it had received, via Qatar, the U.S. response to Iran’s latest proposal for de-escalation, which focused on reopening the Strait and restoring normal shipping traffic. Negotiations remain difficult, while the Council is already grappling with the issue of implementing the sanctions that came back into effect in 2025 and are overseen by the 1737 Committee. The interplay between the nuclear issue, sanctions, regional security, and freedom of navigation makes the Iranian issue one of the most complex dossiers that the Greek presidency may have to address.
In the background, other crises remain that require the Council’s ongoing attention: the war in Sudan, where fighting continues between the armed forces and the RSF and drone attacks are intensifying, as well as Haiti, where nearly 1.5 million people have been displaced due to armed violence. Just on September 29, the Council renewed the mandate of the international anti-gang force for six months, in view of the scheduled December elections.
However, October may take on particular institutional significance for the Greek presidency due to the process of selecting the next Secretary-General. The process is essentially in the hands of the Security Council. In the fourth informal vote, on September 29, Rebecca Greenspan of Costa Rica received 10 “encouragement” votes, three “discouragement” votes, and two “no opinion” votes, remaining in first place, while the process continues without a final consensus having yet been reached.
The selection of a new UN Secretary-General may prove to be the most significant political moment of the Greek presidency. According to Article 97 of the Charter, the Secretary-General is appointed by the General Assembly upon the recommendation of the Security Council. This means that, provided the necessary agreement is reached in October—and, above all, provided there is no opposition from any of the five Permanent Members with veto power — the Security Council’s decision on who will succeed António Guterres could be made under the Greek presidency.
For Greece, October is not just another month in the presidency of a UN body. It coincides with a period during which the Security Council is called upon to simultaneously manage wars and crises with immediate global consequences and, potentially, to select the person who will lead the Organization as of January 1, 2027. For Greek diplomacy, therefore, the challenge will be primarily institutional: to navigate a particularly tense month, to facilitate consultations among the 15 members, and to keep the Council functioning during a period in which geopolitical divisions remain deep.
Source: Proto Thema
