Ecuadorean diplomat nominated as candidate to lead UN

GENEVA, Aug 18 - Ecuadorean diplomat Ivonne Baki has joined the race to become the next secretary-general of the United Nations, she said on Tuesday, the eighth candidate to replace Portugal's Antonio Guterres next year.

Baki, who has served as an Ecuadorean government minister and as ambassador to France, Qatar and the United States, was nominated by the Pacific island nation of Tonga and is the second candidate from Ecuador.

Guterres' successor faces the task of revitalizing an organization in crisis and declining stature amid pressure to reform what critics say is a bloated, costly bureaucracy and reduce duplication across its agencies.

"I stand ready to help renew the UN Charter’s foundational promise: to save succeeding generations from the scourge of war in a world where conflict continues to grow," Baki said on X. "I stand ready to bring outside perspectives, fresh ideas, new talent, and an unyielding commitment to shift the world body away from a focus on process and move instead toward achieving real, measurable results."

Baki has previously told Ecuadorean radio that her candidacy has U.S. support and publicly acknowledged her friendships with President Donald Trump and former President Bill Clinton.

In his nomination letter, Tonga's U.N. ambassador, Viliami Va'inga Tone, said the U.N. "is at a critical point of transition and requires leadership that is experienced, principled and unifying to navigate this period."

He said he was confident Baki, 75, had the necessary experience, diplomatic skill and integrity to mobilize the U.N. and the wider international community to strengthen multilateralism.

Denmark, the current chair of the U.N. Security Council, has said it aims to hold another informal poll among council members on Friday as part of the process of selecting the next U.N. secretary-general.

GUTERRES STEPS DOWN AT YEAR END

Guterres steps down as head of the world body at year-end after two five-year terms. A first straw poll in the 15-member Council to replace him took place at the end of July.

That showed former Costa Rican Vice President Rebeca Grynspan as a narrow early frontrunner among seven current candidates, followed by former Guyanese Foreign Minister Carolyn Rodrigues-Birkett and Argentina's Rafael Grossi, head of the U.N. nuclear watchdog.

Avoiding a veto by any of the five permanent members of the Security Council – China, France, Russia, the United Kingdom and the United States – is vital, and the countries have widely differing worldviews.

Precedent suggests multiple rounds of polling could continue in the coming weeks and conclude in late September or early October. Other candidates can still join the contest and the process could take longer if no consensus candidate emerges.

The other candidates are former Chilean President Michelle Bachelet, former Ecuadorean Foreign Minister Maria Fernanda Espinosa, former Senegalese President Macky Sall, and Ugandan diplomat Olara Otunnu. REUTERS