Ivonne A-Baki
Ecuadorian diplomat Ivonne A-Baki was formally nominated by the Kingdom of Tonga in August 2026 as a candidate for United Nations Secretary-General. She is one of five women among the eight candidates currently seeking the position. The next Secretary-General is expected to take office in January 2027.
Baki was born in Guayaquil, Ecuador, and spent portions of her early life in both Ecuador and Lebanon. She lived in Beirut during the Lebanese Civil War before later studying in France and the United States. Her education includes studies at the Université Paris-Sorbonne and graduate-level work in public administration and public policy at Harvard University’s Kennedy School of Government. Baki speaks Spanish, Arabic, English, French, and German.
Baki’s career has included diplomatic, governmental, and international positions. From 2024 to 2025, she served as Ecuador’s Ambassador to France and Monaco. She previously represented Ecuador as Ambassador to the United States from 1998 to 2002 and again from 2020 to 2024. Between 2017 and 2020, she served as Ambassador to Qatar, with additional accreditation to countries in the Middle East. Her government experience also includes service as Ecuador’s Minister of Foreign Trade and as President of the Andean Parliament.
Earlier in her diplomatic career, Baki participated in negotiations connected to the 1998 peace agreement between Ecuador and Peru. She later worked on Ecuador’s Yasuní-ITT initiative, which focused on conservation and development issues associated with the Yasuní region. Since 2010, she has also served as a UNESCO Goodwill Ambassador for the Dialogue of Civilizations.
As a candidate for Secretary-General, Baki has identified conflict prevention and mediation as key priorities, including greater use of the Secretary-General’s diplomatic role in peace processes. Her platform also calls for UN and Security Council reform, with broader regional representation, changes to the use of the veto, and greater institutional efficiency and accountability. She has also proposed giving greater attention to development financing and sovereign debt, particularly for developing countries. Her platform further addresses the UN’s role in areas such as climate adaptation and emerging technologies, including artificial intelligence.
