Ecuador Has 'Solid' Support for UN Presidency

The candidacy of Ecuador’s Foreign Minister Maria Fernanda Espinosa to preside over the General Assembly of the United Nations has received numerous backing from the countries that make up the organization, the minister told reporters Wednesday.

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"The calculations we have, the written and verbal support, the demonstrations of interest in the Ecuadorian candidacy are numerous and that makes us think that Ecuador's chances of occupying a position which has enormous significance are real," Espinosa said in a conversation with the foreign press in the capital Quito.

Espinosa argued that the candidacy of Ecuador is "very solid" and is based mainly on the performance of the Andean country in the U.N. on issues related to human rights, justice, migration, refuge, disabilities, among others.

The Ecuadorean top diplomat pointed out that the experience the country has in multilateral issues and in reaching agreements and consensus with other nations was important for the candidacy.

Espinosa, who defended her candidacy at the U.N. on May 4, also noted that now the campaign for the presidency of the U.N. assembly is supported in New York as well as by a network of embassies and diplomatic representations abroad.

The main proposal Ecuador has in arguing for its presidency over the U.N. General Assembly is based on promoting transparency, dialogue, geographical balance, gender and maintaining the "open doors" so that the global organization achieves its objectives.

On Friday Espinosa endorsed the need to promote the advance of modernization, multilateralism and the effectiveness of all mechanisms for dialogue and work in the U.N. General Assembly.

It is expected that on June 5 the U.N. members states will choose, by a secret ballot, the new president of the organization for the 73rd session of 2018-2019 between the candidates of Ecuador and Honduras.

The permanent representative of Honduras at the United Nations, Mary Elizabeth Flores, is running for the post.