UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon has appointed Patricia Espinosa Cantalleno of Mexico as executive secretary of the UN’s top climate body. Ms. Espinosa Cantellano succeeds Christiana Figueres of Costa Rica.
Patricia Espinosa Cantalleno has more than 30 years of experience at the highest levels in international relations, specialising in climate change, global governance, sustainable development and human rights, according to a UN press release. She was chair of COP 16 in Cancun, Mexico in 2010 and played an influential role in the adoption of the Cancun climate agreements.
Ms. Espinosa Cantalleno has been the Mexican ambassador to Germany since 2012, a position she also held from 2001 to 2002. She previously served as Mexico’s minister of foreign affairs from 2006 to 2012.
According to a UN statement, Mr. Ban made the appointment after consulting with the UNFCCC.
“Named by the UN Secretary-General to the High-Level Panel of Eminent Persons on the Post 2015 Development Agenda, she is a tireless supporter of multilateralism as a way to improve conditions for development in all regions of the world, understanding the inextricable link between the aims of the Paris Climate Agreement and the Sustainable Development Goals,” the statement said.
Image credit: UN Photo/Devra Berkowitz
