Speaker

 H.E. Ms. María Fernanda Espinosa is the first woman from Latin America and the Caribbean to serve as President of the United Nations General Assembly (2018–2019). She brings over 30 years of multilateral experience in international negotiations and diplomacy, including work on peace and security, defense, disarmament, human rights, Indigenous peoples, gender equality, sustainable development, the 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 also the first woman to become Permanent Representative of Ecuador to the United Nations in New York (2008). Ms. Espinosa currently serves as President of Cities Alliance and Vice-Chair of the United Nations Council of Presidents of the General Assembly. She is also a member of several leading international organizations, including the International Crisis Group, the 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, the Global Commission on the Economics of Water, and the Global Commission on Climate Governance.
Throughout her distinguished career, she has received numerous recognitions, including the Eleanor Roosevelt Award from the United Nations Association of the United States (2022), the Sir Brian Urquhart Award from the United Nations Association of the United Kingdom for Distinguished Service to the United Nations (2021), the 5th Sun Award for her outstanding contribution to advancing the rights of Indigenous Peoples (2021), and the Rehabilitation International Award for Outstanding Achievements in Innovation for her work advancing the rights of persons with disabilities globally (2019). She was also named among the BBC’s 100 most inspiring and influential women in the world (2019).

Ms. Espinosa has published more than 50 scholarly articles, reports, op-eds, and book chapters on topics ranging from peace and security, geopolitics, and multilateralism to trade and investment, sustainable development, human rights, and climate change.