María Fernanda Espinosa facts for kids

Quick facts for kids María Fernanda Espinosa
María Fernanda Espinosa in 2017
President of the 73rd UN General Assembly
In office 18 September 2018 – 17 September 2019
Preceded by	Miroslav Lajčák
Succeeded by	Tijjani Muhammad-Bande
Minister of Foreign Affairs
In office 24 May 2017 – 11 June 2018
President	Lenín Moreno
Preceded by	Guillaume Long
Succeeded by	José Valencia Amores
In office 15 January 2007 – 7 December 2007
President	Rafael Correa
Preceded by	Francisco Carrión
Succeeded by	María Isabel Salvador
Minister of National Defense
In office 28 November 2012 – 23 September 2014
President	Rafael Correa
Preceded by	Miguel Carvajal
Succeeded by	Fernando Cordero Cueva
Coordinating Minister of Heritage
In office 19 October 2009 – 28 November 2012
President	Rafael Correa
Preceded by	Alex Rivas
Succeeded by	María Belén Moncayo
Personal details
Born	(1964-09-07) 7 September 1964 (age 60) Salamanca, Spain
Spouse	Eduardo Mangas
Alma mater	Facultad Latinoamericana de Ciencias Sociales Pontificia Universidad Católica del Ecuador Rutgers University

María Fernanda Espinosa Garcés (born September 7, 1964) is an important person from Ecuador. She is a linguist, poet, politician, and diplomat. She has held many big jobs, including being the Minister of Foreign Affairs for Ecuador two times.

María Fernanda Espinosa was also an ambassador for Ecuador at the United Nations in New York and Geneva. In 2018, she made history by becoming the fourth woman to be elected President of the United Nations General Assembly. This is a very important role at the UN. She is also a writer and has published poems and essays.

Learning and Early Career

María Fernanda Espinosa started her education in Quito, Ecuador. She went to the French-Ecuadorian Lycée La Condamine. After that, she studied Linguistics at the Pontifical Catholic University of Ecuador.

Advanced Studies

She continued her studies in Anthropology and Political Science at the Latin American Faculty of Social Sciences (FLACSO). In 1993, she earned a Master’s Degree. Her master's work focused on how to protect nature in the Amazon region of Ecuador.

Later, she studied Geography at Rutgers University in the United States. She also worked as a researcher and professor at FLACSO. There, she created a program to study how society and the environment affect each other. Her research focused on the Amazon rainforest, how to develop things in a way that doesn't harm the environment, and climate change.

Working for Nature

Before becoming a politician, María Fernanda Espinosa worked to protect nature and help indigenous peoples. From 1999 to 2005, she advised on topics like biodiversity and climate change. She also worked as the regional director for South America at the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). This organization helps protect nature around the world.

María Fernanda Espinosa is also a talented writer. In 1990, she won a national poetry prize in Ecuador.

Political Journey

María Fernanda Espinosa started her career helping indigenous communities in the Amazon rainforest. She focused on protecting these important forests. She worked with different groups and universities.

Early Environmental Work

From 1989 to 1990, she worked for the Natura Foundation of Ecuador. She helped connect nature protection with how local people make a living. In 1994, she worked with UNICEF in Niger. There, she helped with a project to teach about the environment. She also advised the United Nations on forests and the rights of indigenous people.

She later started and led the Socio-Environmental Studies Program at FLACSO. This showed her strong interest in environmental issues. From 1999 to 2005, she advised the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). She took part in international talks about protecting nature and traditional knowledge.

In 2005, she became the Regional Director for South America at IUCN. In this role, she helped governments in South America plan for sustainable development. She focused on how protecting nature can help reduce poverty. She also helped countries work together on environmental issues like climate change and forest management.

María Fernanda Espinosa helped IUCN become a key expert in environmental issues in South America. She worked to make sure that protecting nature also helped people and created a fairer society.

Working for President Rafael Correa

María Fernanda Espinosa held many important jobs in the Ecuadorian government under President Rafael Correa.

Minister of Foreign Affairs (2007)

From January to December 2007, she was the Minister for Foreign Affairs. She helped create Ecuador's new foreign policy. She also worked to bring countries in the region closer together for trade and politics. For example, she started meetings between Ecuador and Peru to work on border issues and cooperation.

Advisor to the Constituent Assembly (2007-2008)

She then advised the President of the Constituent Assembly. She helped write parts of Ecuador's 2008 Constitution. This included sections on the rights of nature and indigenous peoples.

Ambassador to the United Nations in New York (2008-2009)

In 2008, María Fernanda became Ecuador’s first female Permanent Representative to the United Nations in New York. She helped lead Ecuador's role in talks about the global financial crisis. She also worked on environmental issues and climate change. She helped create UN Women, an organization that works for gender equality.

Minister of Natural and Cultural Heritage (2009-2012)

From 2009 to 2012, she was the Minister of Natural and Cultural Heritage. She oversaw ministries like Environment, Culture, and Tourism. She worked to protect Ecuador’s natural and cultural treasures. She also led the Yasuní-ITT Initiative. This project aimed to protect the Amazon rainforest by not drilling for oil in a special area.

Minister of National Defense (2012-2014)

In 2012, Espinosa became the Minister of National Defense. She was the third woman to hold this job in Ecuador. She made changes to the military's social security and education. She also created a policy for gender equality within the Armed Forces.

Ambassador to the United Nations in Geneva (2014-2017)

From 2014 to 2017, she was Ecuador's ambassador to the United Nations in Geneva, Switzerland. She led a group that worked on a new agreement about human rights and large companies. She also defended Ecuador's decision to give political asylum to Julian Assange.

She also played a big part in international meetings on climate change. She led the common position for 34 countries from Latin America and the Caribbean.

Working for President Lenín Moreno

On May 24, 2017, Espinosa became the Minister of Foreign Affairs again, this time under President Lenín Moreno.

President of the UN General Assembly (2018-2019)

On June 5, 2018, María Fernanda Espinosa was elected as the fourth woman president of the United Nations General Assembly. She was the first woman from Latin America and the Caribbean to lead this important body. She won with 128 votes from the 193 member states.

During her time as president, she brought together women leaders to encourage more women to get involved in politics. She also helped the UN adopt important agreements. These included the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Peasants and the Global Compact for Safe, Orderly and Regular Migration.

She also launched the International Year of Indigenous Languages in 2019. She led a worldwide campaign against using single-use plastics. Thanks to her efforts, single-use plastics were removed from the United Nations headquarters in New York and Geneva.

In 2020, she was nominated to be the secretary-general of the Organization of American States. However, she did not win that election.

Other Important Roles

María Fernanda Espinosa is involved in many other important groups and activities.

• She is on the Board of Trustees for the International Crisis Group.
• She is a member of International Gender Champions (IGC), which works for gender equality.
• She is a member of the World Future Council.
• She is a Fellow at the World Academy of Art and Science.
• She is a Commissioner for the Lancet COVID-19 Commission.
• She advises the United Nations Alliance of Civilizations.
• She is the Executive Director of GWL Voices, an organization that works for gender equality in international systems.
• She is a Goodwill Ambassador for the Latin American and Caribbean Fund for the Development of Indigenous Peoples.

Awards and Recognition

María Fernanda Espinosa has received several awards and honors for her work:

• In 2020, she received the Sundance Film Festival Women’s Leadership Celebration award.
• In 2019, she received the Rehabilitation International Award for her work in helping people with disabilities.
• The BBC named her one of the 100 inspiring and influential women in the world for 2019.
• She received the Atahualpa Medal for Merit from the Armed Forces of Ecuador in 2014.
• She received The Order of the Sun of Peru in 2007.

See also

In Spanish: María Fernanda Espinosa para niños