Dr. Rosalía Arteaga Serrano

Global Ambassador

Dr. Arteaga is a leading environmental advocate and education leader across Latin America, serving as the Former President and Constitutional Vice President of the Republic of Ecuador, Former Secretary General of the Amazon Cooperation Treaty Organization, and Former Vice Minister of Culture and Minister of Education. A lawyer and Doctor of Jurisprudence, she graduated in journalism and completed master’s studies in Basic Education and the Rescue of Cultural Values at the Federal University of Bahia in Brazil.

Until 2007, Dr. Arteaga was a member of the Editorial Board of the Encyclopedia Britannica and served as Executive Director of Fundación Natura Regional in both Colombia and Ecuador. She was also a member of the Board of Directors of the Agronomic Research and Teaching Center (CATIE) in Costa Rica until 2012. Dr. Arteaga has published numerous books and contributes to various newspapers and magazines in Ecuador and abroad. Among her environmental-themed publications, notable works include Cuenca Trees, In a Tropical Country, Tseatik, the Itabaca Goblin, and other stories.

Dr. Arteaga has received numerous decorations, including the Green Prize of the Americas, recognition from USAID for her work protecting the Amazon, the Great Amazonids Medal from Panamazonia, the Rio Branco Decoration in the highest degree (awarded by the Brazilian Foreign Ministry), the Cartographic Recognition Medal from the Brazilian Navy, and being declared Administrator Emeritus of the Amazon by UNAMAZ. She also received the highest decoration from the Legislative Assembly of the State of Goiás in Brazil and the Castillo Azul Decoration from the Government of Tarija, Bolivia. In 2016, she was named Latin American Woman of the Year, and in 2020, she was recognized as one of the 100 most influential Latin Americans on Climate Change by the POP Movement for her work on climate change with young people.

She has served as a member of the IDB’s Independent Advisory Group on Environmental Policies, alongside other notable personalities. She has also participated in several events in Manaus, Boavista, Belém do Pará, and Tabatinga in Brazil; Santa Cruz de la Sierra and Cobija in Bolivia; Santa Elena del Guairén in Venezuela; Leticia in Colombia; Paramaribo in Suriname; Georgetown in Guyana; Cayenne in French Guiana; as well as in various cities in the Ecuadorian Amazon, including Lago Agrio, Tena, Coca, Orellana, and Macas.

Dr. Arteaga has also participated as an expert on Amazonian issues in international forums, where she has highlighted the challenges facing the Amazon, its defense, and its critical importance, particularly for those who live in the region. As part of this work, she has delivered speeches on the Amazon in Tokyo at the STS Forum in Kyoto, at the IASA in Austria, at the Tällberg Forum in Sweden, in Lima, Peru, in Bogotá and Tumaco, Colombia, in Salta, Tucumán, Buenos Aires, and Rafaela in Argentina, in Seoul, South Korea, at 30 Women Leaders for Earth during Climate Week Miami 2024, and at the World Summit on Energy Transition in Fortaleza, Brazil.

She directs the Fidal Foundation's environmental content magazine, VerdEcuador.


“Clean water is a basic human right, and it’s crucial that we protect this vital resource for future generations. Education is key to raising awareness, promoting sustainable water management, and empowering communities to fight for their right to clean water."

 

Dr. Rosalia Arteaga's Articles

The Urgent Need for Action: A Global Ambassador’s Perspective on the Water Crisis


Water scarcity is not a new issue for humanity. Throughout history, the extinction of various cultures, such as the ancient Rapa Nui, better known as Easter...