Latin American Woman Set To Preside Over UN General Assembly

The next president of the United Nations General Assembly is set to be one of two Latin American women: Honduras' Foreign Minister Mary Flores or Ecuador's Foreign Minister Maria Fernanda Espinosa.

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As part of the election process, the two candidates took part in informal dialogues where they presented their vision statements and answered questions from member states and civil society on Friday.

According to the United Nations, "the questions covered a wide range of topics, including conflict prevention and sustaining peace; financing for the Sustainable Development Goals; transparency and accountability in the Office of the President; United Nations reforms; and gender equality."

During the dialogues, Flores said her "focus will be in sharing and implementing the 2030 Agenda, attending to children, Millennials and Sustainable Development Generation." Her platform emphasized children and building a culture of peace.

Espinosa's vision statement included a commitment to "facilitate quick and effective responses of the General Assembly to emergency situations," an emphasis on the vulnerable – including people with disabilities and migrants – and the "mobilization of resources that are essential to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals."

Friday was the first time in U.N. General Assembly history that candidates participated in a public dialogue to share their visions and proposals.

The election of the president of the 73rd session of the General Assembly will take place on June 5, 2018.

Whoever is elected will be the first Latin American woman to preside over the U.N. body.