Ivonne Baki

Ivonne Leila Juez Abuchacra de Baki or Ivonne A-Baki She was the Ecuadorian Ambassador to France for most of 2024.

On 18 August 2026, she announced her candidacy to be Secretary-General of the United Nations on X and published a vision statement .

Early life and education Ivonne Baki was born on 23 February 1951 in Guayaquil to Fred Juez and Anan Abuchacra, both Lebanese immigrants to Ecuador. At 17, Ivonne married Lebanese millionaire Sami A-Baki, took his surname, and moved to his residence in Lebanon. The couple would be present in the country for much of the Lebanese Civil War. In 1982, Ivonne Baki moved to Paris and studied the arts at the Sorbonne.

Career Baki began her political career as Ecuador's consul to Beirut in 1981. From 1992 to 1998, she was an honorary consul in Boston, Massachusetts in the United States of America. the first woman appointed to this office. after an oil spill took place in the Galapagos Islands, with the aid of American tycoon Donald Trump, whom she had met and befriended during a diplomatic trip to the United States. During the 2002 Ecuadorian general election, Baki made a failed attempt for the Presidency of Ecuador as head of META.

Ministry of Industries and Productivity On 15 January 2003, Baki was appointed by President Lucio Gutiérrez, yet again becoming the first woman to occupy that office. While holding this office, Baki also managed to have Miss Universe 2004 hosted in Quito, Ecuador thanks to her friendship to Donald Trump, owner of the company that organized the event. In response to criticism levied at her over the high cost of the event, Baki said that the money was "an investment" and not an expense and that it would provide an "excellent opportunity to promote the country [Ecuador] abroad." Another landmark of Baki's running of the Ministry was her attempt to establish a Free Trade Agreement with the United States, which was widely criticized by indigenous groups, who held demonstrations against Baki's ministry. Once her membership of the Andean Parliament began, the Ecuadorian delegation proposed as a candidate for the Presidency of the Parliament for the 2007–2009 term. The project could not achieve these goals and was dissolved mid-2013.

In February 2020, Baki was confirmed as Ambassador to the United States by President Lenín Moreno.