Ecuadorean candidate for UN secretary-general says UN needs to rebuild credibility

An Ecuadorian candidate for United Nations secretary-general said on Monday that the global organization remains essential but must be restructured responsibly to remain effective in a rapidly changing world.

Maria Fernanda Espinosa, a former Ecuadorian foreign affairs minister and defense minister, is one of six candidates seeking to succeed António Guterres as U.N. chief when his term ends later this year.

The next secretary-general will inherit a wide range of challenges, including restoring confidence in an institution many observers say has seen its influence and effectiveness decline in recent years.

“I am under no illusion about the difficulties ahead, yet I remain optimistic,” Espinosa said during a hearing on her candidacy.

Like other contenders, she pledged to continue reform efforts within the United Nations, while stressing that the organization—founded after World War II—remains “undeniable” in its importance to global peace and cooperation.

“Too often the U.N. is missing in action, or relegated to the sidelines. Too often it is slow, fragmented, and constrained,” she said. “The U.N. needs to rebuild credibility and show, not just say, that it can deliver real change.”

Espinosa argued that reform should include streamlining parts of the system. “We can shrink the U.N. responsibly, while strengthening national ownership and delivery, and restoring faith in the U.N.,” she said, without offering specific details.

A former Ecuadorian ambassador to the United Nations, Espinosa also served as president of the U.N. General Assembly from 2018 to 2019. She suggested that national governments could assume greater responsibility in areas currently handled by U.N. agencies.

Domestically, she served in the left-leaning administration of former Ecuadorian President Rafael Correa but has distanced herself from his political movement in recent years.

Her candidacy was nominated by Antigua and Barbuda. The current Ecuadorian government under President Daniel Noboa, a right-leaning leader, has not publicly commented on her bid.

Other candidates in the race are also calling for reform while emphasizing the U.N.’s core mission of peacekeeping and development. Guyana has nominated its U.N. Ambassador Carolyn Rodrigues-Birkett, who is scheduled for a hearing later this week.

Additional contenders include Rebeca Grynspan of Costa Rica, former Chilean President Michelle Bachelet, former Senegalese President Macky Sall, and Rafael Grossi of Argentina, head of the International Atomic Energy Agency.

Elections for the next U.N. secretary-general are expected to take place later this year. Despite growing calls for greater gender representation, no woman has ever held the position.

Espinosa also emphasized the importance of leadership diversity, saying that after 80 years of the United Nations, it may be time for a woman to lead the organization, while adding that selection should focus on capability and leadership quality.

Traditionally, the secretary-general is not selected from any of the five permanent members of the U.N. Security Council—Britain, China, France, Russia, and the United States—though their support remains critical in the final decision-making process. -Reporting by David Brunnstrom; Editing by Don Durfee, Cynthia Osterman and Lincoln Feast./Reuters