20 May 2016: UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has announced three high-level appointments in the field of climate change: Patricia Espinosa Cantellano (Mexico) as the next Executive Secretary of the UNFCCC; and Mary Robinson (Ireland) and Macharia Kamau (Kenya) as Special Envoys of the Secretary-General on El Niño and Climate.

Espinosa’s appointment was made after consultation with the UNFCCC Conference of Parties (COP) through its Bureau. She will succeed Christiana Figueres (Costa Rica) who has served in the position since 2010.

Espinosa has served as Ambassador of Mexico to Germany since 2012. From 2006 to 2012, she served as Minister of Foreign Affairs of Mexico. In 2010, she served as COP 16 President during the deliberations leading to the adoption of the Cancun Agreements. “Named by the 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,” the UN Secretary-General’s statement said, highlighting Espinosa’s understanding of the link between the aims of the Paris Agreement and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

Robinson’s and Kamau’s appointments come at a time of “great urgency,” according to the UN Secretary-General’s statement. The statement describes drought and flooding associated with El Niño as having created “massive needs’ across the world and calls for ‘a longer-term approach” to build the resilience of the most vulnerable. “The UN Special Envoys will provide the leadership required to tackle these challenges, raising the profile and sounding the alarm,” stated Ban.

Robinson is currently President of the Mary Robinson Foundation – Climate Justice. She served as President of Ireland from 1990 to 1997 and as the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights from 1997 to 2002. She has also served as Special Envoy of the Secretary-General for the Great Lakes Region and as Special Envoy of the Secretary-General for Climate Change.

Kamau is the Permanent Representative of Kenya to the UN. He is a former President of the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) Board and former Co-Chair of the General Assembly Working Group on the SDGs. [UN Secretary-General’s Biographical Note on Espinosa] [UN Press Release on Espinosa’s Appointment] [IISD-RS Story: Selection of Future UNEP, UNFCCC Leaders Announced] [UN Secretary-General’s Biographical Note on Robinson and Kamau] [UN Press Release on Robinson’s and Kamau’s Appointments]