A damaged street in the frontline town of Druzhkivka, Donetsk region, Ukraine, which has been repeatedly bombarded by Russian forces, including with cluster munitions in February 2026, which Ukrainian authorities reported to have killed seven and injured 15. (Keystone/Iryna Rybakova/Ukraine's 93rd Mechanized Brigade via AP).

Cluster munitions ban treaty under pressure as 2025 casualties among highest on record. Nations will gather in Laos this week to discuss progress on a convention banning cluster munitions, just as 2025 counted one of the highest numbers of civilian casualties since the treaty entered into force in 2010. Campaigners are calling for renewed international condemnation of these weapons.

ROUND THREE. The Security Council will hold its third straw poll this Friday to gauge support among the eight candidates vying to become the next UN secretary general.

🎭Latecomers. No fresh faces in the mix since the last iteration on 21 August, but latecomers Olara Otunnu and Yvonne A-Baki jumped in, respectively, six days before the first poll and four days before the second one.

👀Read our analysis from the last round: Deep rifts and secrecy cloud race to pick next UN chief

🏝️Political quagmire. Grossi is walking a tightrope as Argentina and the UK feud over the Malvines/Falklands, with Argentine president Javier Milei upping tensions by announcing plans for a naval base and sanctions on UK oil firms that operate in the archipelago.
London was initially considering abstaining on Grossi, partially clearing his path for the top job. That’s no longer a sure thing, Infobae reports. However, according to the Argentine digital media, he still has Donald Trump and France’s Emmanuel Macron in his corner.

🪃Blowback. Guyana’s Carolyn Rodrigues-Birkett emerged as the top contender at the last poll and has been making the rounds to get support in Asia. But her past criticism of Israel, raised by the Wall Street Journal’s board, could make it harder to earn the Us’s indispensable blessing.

🏳️‍🌈 Rights test. Olara Otunnu has not wasted any time in hustling for support from Riyadh to Islamabad. While still trailing far behind, he made the biggest leap in the last poll. But he also faces tough questions about his own backer’s politics – will he stand up against Uganda’s draconian anti-LGBTQI laws? asks the African online news website 76 Crimes.

🎯Realistic expectations. Others are already starting to come to terms with the odds. At an event in her home country of Chile, Michelle Bachelet said she knew she wasn’t going to become secretary general.

— Michelle Langrand

Jeremy Farrar, then WHO executive director, speaking at the International Labour Conference in Geneva, 12 June 2025. (Pierre Albouy/ILO)

Jeremy Farrar joins global health non-profit Path following unexpected departure from WHO. The British scientist will be quick to get back on his feet. Less than a month ago it was revealed that Jeremy Farrar was retiring from his top position at the UN health agency at the end of September despite the WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus trying to get him to stay. He will lead the US-based organisation’s regional division for Asia, the Middle East and Europe from Geneva.