Maria Fernanda Espinosa

Maria Fernanda Espinosa Garces is an Ecuadorian academic, diplomat, politician and poet. Espinosa has more than 30 years of professional experience in academia, non-governmental organizations, international organizations, and high-level government positions.With a vote of two thirds of its membership, her most recent appointment was to serve as President of the 73rd Session of the United Nations General Assembly (2018 – 2019), becoming the fourth woman in history and the first from Latin America and the Caribbean to be elected and preside over this body since its foundation in 1945. Espinosa received the 2019 Rehabilitation International Award for Outstanding Achievements in innovation “for her Innovative work in advancing the rights of persons with disabilities globally” and was also declared by the BBC as one of the 100 inspiring and influential women from around the world.