On 14 October 2026, UNU will host "Priorities for the Next UN Secretary-General", a conversation with Mr. Richard Gowan, Program Director for Global Issues and Institutions at the International Crisis Group (ICG). This event will start at 18:30 in the 1F Annex Space at UNU Headquarters in Tokyo.
Progress on peace and security often depends on the confidence Member States place in the UN's development work and administrative reforms, while reform efforts themselves are frequently tested in the context of ongoing crises. As the selection process for the next UN Secretary-General gains speed, the incoming leadership will face major challenges and opportunities on issues of peace and security, international development, and UN reform.
Mr. Richard Gowan will join UNU Rector Tshilidzi Marwala to discuss potential priorities for the next UN Secretary-General. Drawing on his experience as ICG's former UN Director, and from his earlier work at the UNU Centre for Policy Research and the European Council on Foreign Relations, Mr. Gowan will consider how the incoming Secretary-General might sequence and balance priorities during their first year and what these priorities may mean for the future direction of the United Nations. The conversation will also address how research institutions such as UNU can support the incoming Secretary-General's team as it is assembled, offering ideas and advice to shape their early agenda.
This event is part of the UNU Conversation Series, which aims to foster audience participation. You are encouraged to engage with the speaker during the conversation and at the reception that will follow, where all event attendees are invited to enjoy hors d'oeuvres and drinks while exchanging ideas and making new contacts.
This event will be conducted in English. Advance registration is required by 15:00 on 13 October 2026.
Please note that food and photography are prohibited during events at UNU Headquarters, unless prior permission is granted by UNU.
About the speaker
Mr. Richard Gowan has been Program Director for Global Issues and Institutions at the International Crisis Group (ICG) since October 2025. He previously served as ICG's UN Director from March 2019 to September 2025, and as a Consulting Analyst at ICG from December 2015 to August 2017. He was a Senior Fellow at the United Nations University Centre for Policy Research from March 2018 to March 2019. He has been an Associate Fellow of the European Council on Foreign Relations (ECFR) since October 2007.
He also has been an Non-Resident Fellow at New York University's Center for International Cooperation since 2015, having previously served as a Research Fellow from June 2005 to June 2013 and as Research Director from June 2013 to June 2015. He holds a BA in History from Corpus Christi College, University of Cambridge, and an MPhil in International Relations from Christ's College, University of Cambridge.
