Ivonne Baki enters UN Secretary-General race

Ecuadorian diplomat Ivonne Baki has officially entered the race to succeed António Guterres as the Secretary-General of the United Nations. Her candidacy was formally presented by the Kingdom of Tonga, bringing the total number of declared contenders to eight.

Baki, a former Ecuadorian Minister of Foreign Trade and Ambassador to the United States and Qatar, highlights her Lebanese heritage as a bridge between Latin America and the Middle East. She aims to revitalize the fundamental promises of the UN Charter and shift the organization’s focus from bureaucratic processes toward achieving measurable results.

The next Secretary-General will take office following the conclusion of Guterres’s term on December 31, 2027. The selection process occurs amidst significant global challenges, including geopolitical divisions, increasing conflicts, and calls for institutional reform to address budgetary difficulties and agency overlap.