| Patricia Espinosa Cantellano | |
| Office: | Executive Secretary of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change |
| Term Start: | 18 July 2016 |
| Term End: | 15 July 2022 |
| Predecessor: | Christiana Figueres |
| Successor: | Simon Stiell (Acting) |
| Office1: | Ambassador of Mexico to Germany |
| Term Start1: | 6 September 2013 |
| Term End1: | 18 July 2016 |
| Office3: | Secretary of Foreign Affairs |
| President3: | Felipe Calderón |
| Term Start3: | December 1, 2006 |
| Term End3: | December 1, 2012 |
| Predecessor3: | Luis Ernesto Derbez |
| Successor3: | José Antonio Meade Kuribreña |
| Birth Date: | 21 October 1958 |
| Birth Place: | Mexico City, Mexico |
| Birthname: | Patricia Espinosa Cantellano |
| Relations: | Married |
| Alma Mater: | El Colegio de México Graduate Institute of International Studies |
| Profession: | Diplomat |
Patricia Espinosa Cantellano (born October 21, 1958) is a Mexican diplomat who served as the executive secretary of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change from 2016 to 2022. She was Secretary of Foreign Affairs in the cabinet of President Felipe Calderón; and served as Mexican Ambassador to Austria, Germany, Slovenia and Slovakia. Because of her diplomatic career, she was appointed Ambassador Emeritus of Mexico in 2012.
Patricia Espinosa Cantellano graduated with a bachelor's degree in International Relations from El Colegio de México and earned a diploma in International Law at the Graduate Institute of International and Development Studies in Switzerland. She is married and has two children.[1]
Espinosa Cantellano joined the Foreign Service on September 16, 1981.
Ambassador Cantellano has served as responsible for economic affairs, Permanent Mission of Mexico to UN, Geneva (1982-88); Head, Cabinet to Undersecretary of Foreign Affairs (1989-91); Director of International Organizations (1991-93); assigned to Permanent Mission of Mexico to UN, New York (1993-97); President of the Third Committee, UN General Assembly (1996-97); and General Director of Regional Organizations of the Americas, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Coordinator for Rio Group, Iberoamerican Summit, Summit of Americas and Summit of Latin America and Caribbean with European Union (1997-99).
She was promoted to Ambassador within the Foreign Service in 2000 and served at the Mexican Embassy in Germany from January 2001 to June 2002; leaving the post to serve as Ambassador to Austria, concurrently with a number of international organizations based in Vienna, from 2002 to 2006.
On November 28, 2006, President-elect Felipe Calderón announced that she would serve as his Secretary of Foreign Affairs starting on December 1, 2006.
As Secretary of Foreign Affairs of the Mexican Government, she:
Because of her outstanding career as a Mexican diplomat, she was appointed Ambassador Emeritus of Mexico in 2012.
From 2012 to 2016, she was again Ambassador of Mexico to Germany. Post where she drove efforts to strengthen the bilateral relationship, particularly to promote Mexico's economic opportunities, which led to an increase in German investment and bilateral trade growth.
In May 2016, Espinosa was selected by United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon to be the Executive Secretary of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). Under her leadership, she led the transformation of the organization towards supporting the full implementation of the Paris Agreement globally.[2]