Following a selection process led by United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon, Patricia Espinosa, Mexico’s current ambassador to Germany, has been nominated for the position of executive secretary for the U.N. Framework Convention on Climate Change. Before Espinosa’s appointment can be confirmed, Ban must consult with the Bureau of the UNFCCC. Following the completion of this consultation, a further announcement concerning the appointment is expected.
Espinosa will replace outgoing Executive Secretary Christiana Figueres, who helped steer nearly 200 nations to the creation of the world’s first universal climate agreement. Figueres announced her resignation, effective as of July 6, in February.
“Patricia is precisely the right person at the right time for this job. Those of us who worked closely with her during the Cancun climate conference were hugely impressed by her savvy, diplomatic skills, grit and determination, which were crucial to getting the negotiations back on track and opening the way for success in Paris last year,” Andrew Steer, president and CEO of the World Resources Institute said of the selection in a published statement.