At a Glance:

• Tonga officially nominated Ecuadorian diplomat Ivonne A-Baki as the 8th candidate for UN Secretary-General.
• Born to Lebanese parents, A-Baki’s career spans environmental diplomacy, trade negotiations, and peace brokering.
• She joins seven other global candidates vying to succeed António Guterres on January 1, 2027.
• UN insider Rebeca Grynspan led the UN Security Council's initial informal straw poll.

Ecuadorian diplomat of Lebanese origin and former Minister of Foreign Trade Ivonne A-Baki has officially entered the race to succeed António Guterres as United Nations Secretary-General, following a formal nomination by the Kingdom of Tonga. A-Baki becomes the eighth candidate, and the fifth woman, in the running to take over the top international post when Guterres completes his second five-year term at the end of December 2026.

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Key Statements and Focus Area:

• Vision for the UN:"As the only candidate whose heritage bridges Latin America and the Middle East, and the only nominee to have helped broker a peace agreement between two sovereign UN member states, I stand ready to help renew the UN Charter's foundational promise." — Ivonne A-Baki, statement via public social channels.
• Nomination Endorsement:"She has led major international initiatives on sustainable development and dialogue among cultures, bridging Latin America, the Arab world, Africa, and Europe." — The Kingdom of Tonga, official nomination letter to the UN General Assembly.

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Diplomatic Background and Multi-Regional Reach

Born in Guayaquil to Lebanese parents, Ivonne Leyla Juez Abuchakra de A-Baki spent significant time in Lebanon during the civil war, an experience she credits with shaping her diplomatic focus on conflict resolution. Her diplomatic trajectory includes service as Ecuador’s Ambassador to the United States, Qatar, and France, as well as holding the presidency of the Andean Parliament from 2007 to 2009. She played a key role in negotiating the 1998 Brasilia Presidential Act that ended the Cenepa War between Ecuador and Peru, and led the Yasuní-ITT Amazon conservation initiative from 2010 to 2013.

The UN Selection Process and Security Council Straw Polls

The race to choose the 10th UN Secretary-General involves recommendations by the 15-member Security Council to the General Assembly. Candidates must secure at least nine votes without a veto from any of the five permanent Security Council members (P5: United States, China, Russia, France, and the United Kingdom). In the initial informal straw poll conducted by the Security Council, UNCTAD head Rebeca Grynspan secured an early lead, though informal polling remains non-binding as P5 members have yet to finalize their preferences.

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Eight Declared Candidates in the Field

• Michelle Bachelet (Chile) – Former President of Chile and UN High Commissioner for Human Rights
• Rebeca Grynspan (Costa Rica) – Secretary-General of UNCTAD
• Rafael Grossi (Argentina) – Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA)
• Carolyn Rodrigues-Birkett (Guyana) – Permanent Representative of Guyana to the UN
• María Fernanda Espinosa (Ecuador) – Former UN General Assembly President and Foreign Minister
• Macky Sall (Senegal) – Former President of Senegal
• Olara Otunnu (Uganda) – Former UN Under-Secretary-General
• Ivonne A-Baki (Ecuador) – Former Ambassador and Minister of Foreign Trade

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FYI

Under the UN's informal tradition of regional rotation, the presidency is widely expected to fall to a candidate from the Latin American and Caribbean Group (GRULAC) for the 2027–2031 term. The addition of A-Baki intensifies competition within the region, where six of the eight current nominees originate. With momentum growing around the possibility of appointing the first female UN Secretary-General in the organization’s 81-year history, Security Council consultations and formal straw polls are scheduled to intensify through September and October before a final choice is presented to the General Assembly.