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UNITED NATIONS: The UN General Assembly overwhelmingly elected Ecuador’s Foreign Minister Maria Fernanda Espinosa Garces as its next president, making her only the fourth woman to lead the 193-member world body in its 73-year history.
She defeated another woman, Honduras UN Ambassador Mary Elizabeth Flores Flake, by 128-62 with two abstentions in the secret-ballot vote.
Garces is a known poet in Latin America. In her acceptance speech, she also noted that she was the first woman ever from Latin America and the Caribbean to preside over the Assembly.
While the presidency is largely ceremonial, it is prestigious.
The world body controls the UN budget, adopts treaties, addresses global issues and passes numerous resolutions.
Published in Dawn, June 7th, 2018
