Ecuador’s Maria ‌Fernanda Espinosa joins competition to become Secretary-General of the United Nations

Antigua and Barbuda has ​nominated Ecuador’s Maria ‌Fernanda Espinosa as candidate to be the next United ​Nations Secretary-General, ​a U.N. official told Reuters ⁠on Tuesday.

Maria ‌Fernanda Espinosa

Espinosa, a ​former foreign affairs minister ​and defense minister in Ecuador, was president of the U.N. General Assembly ​in New York ​from 2018-2019.

Five candidates are now competing ‌to ⁠take over from outgoing U.N. chief Antonio Guterres, including three ​women ​seeking ⁠to become the first female ​head.

Elections are due ​later ⁠this year and the new Secretary-General’s five-year term will ⁠begin ​on January ​1, 2027.

In addition to her diplomatic and political activities, Espinosa, 61, has been an activist for indigenous and women’s rights, leading several Ecuadorian and Latin American organizations dedicated to the causes.

Outside of her political and public service career, she is a published poet and essayist.