UNITED NATIONS - Former UN General Assembly president Maria Fernanda Espinosa has been recommended as a candidate for the next UN secretary-general, said the spokeswoman for the current president of the UN General Assembly.

Espinosa's candidacy was recommended by the government of Antigua and Barbuda, said La Neice Collins, spokeswoman for UN General Assembly President Annalena Baerbock.

Espinosa of Ecuador served as the 73rd president of the UN General Assembly between 2018 and 2019. Before that, she served as Ecuador's permanent representative to the United Nations in New York and in Geneva, respectively.

Espinosa served twice as Ecuador's foreign minister and also as the country's defense minister.

To date, five candidates are running for the next UN secretary-general. In addition to Espinosa, the other four candidates are: Michelle Bachelet, a former Chilean president and a former UN high commissioner for human rights; Rafael Grossi of Argentina, the current director-general of the International Atomic Energy Agency; Rebeca Grynspan of Costa Rica, the current secretary-general of UN Trade and Development; and Macky Sall, a former president of Senegal.

Antonio Guterres, the current and ninth secretary-general of the United Nations, took office in January 2017. The next UN secretary-general will take over the role from Jan 1, 2027.