LONDON, Dec 3 - Rebeca Grynspan, Costa Rica's former vice president and a frontrunner to become the next United Nations secretary-general, said that if equality triumphs over discrimination, the world body will finally see its first woman lead it.

The process to elect the next U.N. chief formally kicked off last week as member states were asked to nominate candidates to take over the role from Antonio Guterres of Portugal from January 1, 2027.

Despite the U.N.'s 80-year history as an international agency for peace and cooperation, the secretary-general role has never been held by a woman, a reality Grynspan says defies explanation given how many women have the merit and credentials to lead.

Publicly declared candidates for the role include Grynspan, who currently serves as secretary-general of the U.N. Conference on Trade and Development, Chile's former President Michelle Bachelet, and Argentine diplomat Rafael Grossi.

"We don't need special treatment. What we are really asking for is no discrimination," Grynspan, 69, told Reuters in an interview in London. "If equality will prevail, we will be able to get there. That's the only thing that we are asking: equal treatment."

Calls have been growing for a woman to assume the role, and the next secretary-general will likely come from Latin America as the position traditionally rotates among regions. Latin America, along with the Caribbean, is next on the list.

Grynspan said the U.N. must become more inclusive, pointing out that when it was founded in the aftermath of World War Two, it had 51 member states, whereas today there are 193, most of which had no role in shaping the institution's original 1945 architecture.

"Those voices have to have wider space to be heard," Grynspan said, adding that granting permanent Security Council seats to Africa and Latin American nations would be a welcome reform.

U.N. SHOULD EMBRACE REFORM, GRYNSPAN SAYS

Should Grynspan be elected, she would assume leadership of the U.N. during Donald Trump's tenure as president...