Speaker

H.E. Ms. María Fernanda Espinosa is the first woman from Latin America and the Caribbean to be President of the United Nations General Assembly (2018-2019). She has over 30 years of multilateral experience in international negotiations, peace, security, defense, disarmament, human rights, Indigenous peoples, gender equality, sustainable development, environment, biodiversity, climate change, and multilateral cooperation. She has served Ecuador as Minister of Foreign Affairs (twice), Minister of National Defense, and Coordinating Minister of Natural and Cultural Heritage. She was the first woman to become Permanent Representative of Ecuador to the United Nations in New York (2008). Currently, she is President of Cities Alliance and Executive Director of Global Women Leaders for Change and Inclusion. She is also a member of leading international organizations, including the International Crisis Group, Nizami Ganjavi International Center, the UN Alliance of Civilizations, the UN Advisory Board on Human Security, and the Generation Equality Forum. She chairs the work of the Coalition for the Un We Need, Debt Relief for a Green and Inclusive Recovery, Global Commission on the Economics of Water, and Global Commission on Climate Governance. She has received many awards, including the “Eleanor Roosevelt Award” from the UN Association of the United States (2022), the Sir Brian Urquhart Award from the UN Association of the United Kingdom for her “Distinguished Service to the UN” (2021), the “5th Sun Award” for her “outstanding contribution to advance the agenda of the rights of Indigenous Peoples” (2021), and the Rehabilitation International Award for Outstanding Achievements in Innovation “for her innovative work advancing the rights of persons with disabilities globally” (2019). She was also declared one of the 100 most inspiring and influential women globally by the BBC (2019). Throughout her career, she has published over 50 scholarly articles, op-eds, reports, and book chapters on issues ranging from peace and security, geopolitics, and multilateralism to trade and investment, sustainable development, human rights, and climate change.