Ecuadorean diplomat Ivonne Baki joins race for UN secretary-general
Ivonne Baki, nominated by Tonga, became the eighth candidate seeking to succeed UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres next year.
New York, United States. Ecuadorean diplomat Ivonne Baki has entered the race to become the next United Nations secretary-general, becoming the eighth candidate to succeed Portugal’s Antonio Guterres next year.
Baki, 75, was nominated by Tonga and is the second candidate from Ecuador.
Nomination and experience
Baki has served as an Ecuadorean government minister and as ambassador to France, Qatar and the United States.
In his nomination letter, Tonga’s UN ambassador, Viliami Va’inga Tone, said the organisation was at “a critical point of transition” and needed experienced, principled and unifying leadership.
Tone said he was confident Baki had the experience, diplomatic skills and integrity needed to mobilise the organisation and the wider international community, strengthen multilateralism and advance the principles of the UN Charter.
Selection process
Guterres will step down at the end of the year after serving two five-year terms. His successor will face pressure to reform an organisation critics describe as a bloated and costly bureaucracy, while reducing duplication among its agencies.
Denmark, which currently chairs the UN Security Council, has said it aims to hold another informal poll among council members on Friday. The first straw poll in the 15-member council was held at the end of July.
That poll showed former Costa Rican vice president Rebeca Grynspan as an early narrow frontrunner among the seven candidates at the time. She was followed by former Guyanese foreign minister Carolyn Rodrigues-Birkett and Rafael Grossi of Argentina, head of the UN nuclear watchdog.
Security Council vote
A candidate must avoid a veto from any of the Security Council’s five permanent members: China, France, Russia, the United Kingdom and the United States.
Multiple rounds of polling could continue in the coming weeks and conclude in late September or early October. Additional candidates may still enter the contest, and the process could take longer if no consensus candidate emerges.
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