UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon appointed Patricia Espinosa Cantellano of Mexico as executive secretary of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, Ban's office said Wednesday, according to dpa. In her new post, Espinosa Cantellano will lead the secretariat tasked with supporting the work of the international framework for cooperation, known as UNFCCC, aimed at combatting climate change. While Ban had announced his intention to name Espinosa Cantellano for the top position earlier this month, the appointment comes after consultations with countries that are party to the framework. Espinosa Cantellano, who currently serves as Mexican ambassador to Germany and previously as Mexico's foreign minister, has more than 30 years of experience in coordinating international efforts on climate change, sustainable development and human rights. The top post of the UNFCCC is currently held by Costa Rican diplomat Christiana Figueres, who has served since 2010 and who oversaw the creation in December of the Paris climate agreement, the first universal action plan intended to mitigate the impacts of climate change.
