Lebanese-born diplomat Ivonne A-Baki (Ivonne Juez Abuchacra de Baki) has emerged as a serious contender to succeed United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres, whose second term is set to end on September 31, 2026, according to information obtained by MTV.

A-Baki, who was born and raised in Ecuador to Lebanese parents, is viewed as having strong prospects for the UN’s top post, backed by a long and eclectic career in diplomacy and public service. Her candidacy is also buoyed by her close connections in Washington, particularly her relationship with U.S. President Donald Trump, forged during her tenure as Ecuador’s ambassador to the United States.

A-Baki is credited with playing a central role in the 1998 peace agreement between Ecuador and Peru, which ended a five-decade border conflict. At the time, she served as an adviser to then-Ecuadorian president Jamil Mahuad, who, like her, is of Lebanese descent.

Her diplomatic résumé extends well beyond Washington. A-Baki has served as Ecuador’s ambassador to Qatar, Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon, Oman, Syria, and France, and is currently a member of the International Peace Council.

In Ecuador, she held several cabinet portfolios between 2003 and 2005, serving as Minister of Foreign Trade, Industry, Economic Integration, Fisheries, and Competitiveness. She also mounted a bid for Ecuador’s presidency, later winning a seat in the Andean Parliament in 2006. She was unanimously elected president of the regional body in 2007.

In 2009, A-Baki was nominated for the position of UNESCO Director-General in Paris but withdrew her candidacy at the final stage in favor of another nominee. She was later appointed UNESCO Goodwill Ambassador by then–Director-General Irina Bokova.

Born in Ecuador on February 23, 1950, A-Baki earned a degree in fine arts from the Sorbonne and went on to complete a Master’s in Public Administration at the Harvard Kennedy School in 1993. She is fluent in five languages and writes poetry in three.

A-Baki is the daughter of Fouad Juez, a Lebanese emigrant from the village of Btater in the Aley district, and is married to Dr. Samy Abdul Baki.