Ecuador promotes its candidacy for the UN Security Council

Foreign Minister Juan Carlos Holguín will travel to the United States to hold a series of bilateral meetings that seek to promote Ecuador's candidacy to the United Nations Security Council. This was confirmed by a statement released by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Human Mobility of Ecuador.

According to the program of the official visit, Holguín's agenda began today in New York, at the headquarters of the United Nations (UN). There, a meeting was agreed with representatives of the Latin American and Caribbean Group (GRULAC), representatives of the European Union and the African Union, among others. During these meetings, the Foreign Minister will promote various support for Ecuador to strengthen its candidacy. In addition, a meeting with UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres is scheduled.

On Friday, April 1, the agenda will be fulfilled in Washington, D.C., where Holguín will meet with the United States Assistant Secretary of State, Wendy Sherman, and other members of the White House and the U.S. Senate. They will discuss the terms for new commercial, environmental and security understandings that Ecuador seeks to establish with the United States.

The Foreign Relations Committee of the United States Congress passed a law enacted by the United States on March 23 to strengthen relations with Ecuador. The bill, which is part of a legislative initiative put forward by a group of US legislators, proposes to launch a plan to expand economic and commercial ties between Ecuador and the United States, with a focus on civil society and indigenous and Afro-descendant communities. Support for democracy and the fight against corruption are included in this plan.

This document promotes support to the Ecuadorian government for the protection of the environment. In addition, it provides a legal framework to strengthen Ecuador's efforts to address corruption-related activities and illicit activities, such as trafficking in persons. The law also authorizes the transfer of two U.S. Coast Guard vessels. Government to the Ecuadorian government for the protection of the Galapagos Marine Reserve and the fight against drug trafficking in these waters.

Democrat Bob Menendez, chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, introduced the bill accompanied by Republicans Jim Risch and Marco Rubio, as well as another Democrat, Tim Kaine. Once the proposal was approved by the Committee, the next step was a final vote in the Senate. The Ecuadorian Foreign Ministry announced the approval of the Ecuador-United States Strategic Partnership Act of 2022.

Last month, Menéndez met with President Guillermo Lasso to discuss issues of mutual interest between the United States and Ecuador.

The United Nations Security Council, the body to which Ecuador aspires to belong, is the United Nations agency responsible for maintaining peace and security in the world. Unlike other sections of the UN that can only make recommendations to country governments, the Security Council can oblige members to comply with them.

The Council consists of fifteen nations, five permanent members with the right of veto (United States, United Kingdom, France, Russia and the People's Republic of China) and ten non-permanent members. Between 2021 and 2023 they were non-permanent members for Latin America and the Caribbean, Mexico and Brazil. Between 2017 and 2021, they were Uruguay, Bolivia, Peru, Dominican Republic and Saint Vincent and the Grenadines. This is the space that Ecuador aspires to occupy.

Ecuador's Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Human Mobility announced that during the visit of Foreign Minister Juan Carlos Holguín, there will also be a meeting with the Secretary General of the Organization of American States (OAS), Luis Almagro, to discuss discussions on issues of regional interest.

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