María Fernanda Espinosa, a former Ecuadorian foreign and defense minister, is seeking to become the first woman secretary-general of the United Nations, aiming to lead the global organization through a period of significant reform. Espinosa, 61, a poet and advocate for indigenous rights, highlighted the urgent need for modernization within the UN, which celebrated its 80th anniversary last year amid growing criticism of its effectiveness and relevance.

Espinosa acknowledged concerns that selecting the first female UN secretary-general should not be a symbolic gesture alone. "We need the right woman and the right leader because the UN is at a crossroads," she said, emphasizing that the institution faces a severe financial crisis and has appeared ineffective in preventing major conflicts. These challenges have been underscored by recent global crises and the organization’s shortcomings, including problems raised by former U.S. President Donald Trump, who sharply criticized the UN during his 2019 address to the General Assembly.

Trump questioned the UN’s ability to stop wars and labeled its actions as merely issuing “strongly worded letters,” a point Espinosa conceded as valid. She identified conflict prevention as “one of the weakest areas” within the organization’s mandates, a gap she aims to address with a novel approach. Espinosa proposed setting up a “peace room,” an early-warning system designed to identify emerging conflicts promptly and enable rapid intervention—an initiative she sees as critical for restoring the UN’s credibility and efficacy.

Securing the secretary-general position, which begins in January of next year, requires navigating a complex and highly political selection process. Candidates are nominated by member states and must be approved by the UN Security Council’s five permanent members—China, France, Russia, the United Kingdom, and the United States—all possessing veto power. Following this, the General Assembly is expected to formally appoint the selected candidate in the autumn.

Espinosa was nominated by Antigua and Barbuda but has yet to receive official endorsement from Ecuador’s current president, Daniel Noboa. Her candidacy is competing with several prominent figures from Latin America and Africa, including Rafael Grossi of Argentina, currently head of the International Atomic Energy Agency; Rebecca Grynspan from Costa Rica, secretary-general of UN Trade and Development; Michelle Bachelet, former Chilean president and UN High Commissioner for Human Rights; and Macky Sall, former president of Senegal.

Addressing the difficulties of satisfying the varied interests of powerful Security Council members, Espinosa underlined the importance of being an impartial and pragmatic manager. She said the secretary-general must function like a “CEO” capable of making difficult decisions, leading efficient reforms, and maintaining neutrality without advancing any specific national agendas.

While some reports have suggested that former President Trump favored Gianni Infantino, the FIFA president, for the role, the nomination deadline has passed, and there is skepticism among council members about Infantino’s perceived alignment with the former U.S. administration.

Espinosa, who served as Ecuador’s first woman permanent representative to the UN and held the presidency of the General Assembly for one year, describes herself as an “insider-outsider,” stressing that unlike some rivals, she has not been paid by the UN. She speaks candidly about the organization’s bureaucratic challenges and has called for cuts in leadership positions as part of her reform agenda.

With multilateral cooperation under strain globally, Espinosa hopes to reinvigorate the UN’s mission and restore confidence in its role as a pivotal international institution capable of addressing 21st-century security and humanitarian challenges.