María Fernanda Espinosa || 2025 Commencement Speaker

The New School honored María Fernanda Espinosa at the 89th Annual Commencement Ceremony. María Fernanda Espinos spoke to the 2025 Graduates as the commencement speaker. María Fernanda Espinosa is a politician, diplomat, and human rights advocate with more than 30 years experience in international relations, human rights, gender equality, sustainable development, among other issues of importance. She was the first woman from Latin America and the Caribbean to serve as the President of the United Nations General Assembly, from 2018-2019, and has served as Ecuador’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, the Minister of National Defense. Currently, Espinosa is the President of the Cities Alliance, and Executive Director of Global Women Leaders for Change and Inclusion GWL Voices. Additionally, she is a member of several leading international organizations, including the Board of Trustees of the Nizami Ganjavi International Center, the UN Alliance of Civilizations, the UN Advisory Board on Human Security, and the International Crisis Group.