Mar\u00eda Fernanda Espinosa has emerged as the fifth contender for the world\u2019s top diplomatic job \u2013 and to be the first woman in the role. <\/p>\n
Antigua and Barbuda has officially nominated Mar\u00eda Fernanda Espinosa to be the next secretary general of the United Nations, making the Ecuadorian diplomat and former politician the fifth candidate to join the race.<\/p>\n
The Caribbean country submitted her credentials to the respective presidents of the General Assembly and the Security Council, a UN spokesperson in New York confirmed on Tuesday.<\/p>\n
She joins four other candidates competing to succeed Ant\u00f3nio Guterres in January 2027, including two other women \u2013 Michelle Bachelet of Chile and Costa Rica\u2019s Rebeca Grynspan \u2013 as well as Macky Sall from Senegal and Rafael Grossi of Argentina.<\/p>\n
Espinosa is the third candidate to be backed by a country other than their own: Bachelet is supported by Brazil and Mexico after her country\u2019s new hard-right leader, Jos\u00e9 Antonio Kast, withdrew its backing for the former socialist president in March. Former Senegalese president Sall\u2019s nomination was submitted by Burundi.<\/p>\n
Ecuador, which is run by conservative president Daniel Noboa, who recently secured his second term, has not yet commented publicly on her nomination.<\/p>\n
From politician to diplomat<\/p>\n
Under the country\u2019s former long-time leftist leader, Rafael Correa, Espinosa twice served as minister of foreign affairs and trade \u2013 in 2007-2008 and 2017-2018 \u2013 and held roles as cultural minister and minister of defence.<\/p>\n
She was president of the UN General Assembly from 2018-2019 \u2013 only the fourth woman to hold the position and the first from Latin America \u2013 where she made striving for gender parity<\/a> a priority.<\/p>\n Before then, Espinosa was posted to Geneva, where she served as Ecuador\u2019s permanent representative to the UN and other organisations between 2014 and 2017. During that time, she became a well-known figure among the NGO community for her work chairing an open-ended intergovernmental working group drafting a legally binding treaty to hold transnational corporations accountable to international human rights law.<\/p>\n Observers Geneva Solutions spoke to said they were not surprised that Espinosa was entering the fray to lead the embattled organisation. Described as an active and high-profile diplomat who wears a number of different hats, she has been vocal throughout her career on issues ranging from gender equality to climate security.<\/p>\n With small island developing states like Antigua and Barbuda comprising a significant number of votes at the General Assembly \u2013 39 UN member states and 18 associate members \u2013 one rights advocate in Geneva described it as a \u201cclever move\u201d.<\/p>\n