Rosalía Arteaga Serrano

A lawyer and Doctor of Jurisprudence, she also graduated from the School of Journalism and pursued a Master’s degree in Basic Education and the Rescue of Cultural Values in Latin America at the Federal University of Bahia, Brazil.

She holds the distinction of being the first woman to serve as both Constitutional President and Vice President of the Republic of Ecuador. Her public service has included positions as Vice Minister of Culture, Minister of Education, Culture, and Sports, and Secretary General of the Amazon Cooperation Treaty Organization (ACTO) in Brazil. She has also served as a member of the Editorial Board of the Encyclopaedia Britannica and  as a member of the Board of Trustees of the Library of Alexandria in Egypt.

At present, she is the Executive President of the FIDAL Foundation, President of the International University of La Rioja (UNIR) in Ecuador, and a member of the World Academy of Art and Science. She has been named an Honorary Member of the Royal Academy of Doctors of Europe. Her additional roles include Education Advisor to the China–North America Business Association (California), Chair of the Advisory Board of KREAB, member of the Board of Trustees of Otavalo University and SEK University of Ecuador. She also serves as a Trustee of the World Sustainable Development Forum (WSDF), Advisory Board Member of the Global Thinkers Forum, Board Member of the Alliance for Women and Girls (AFWAG), Special Consultant to the TIENS Group, Global Ambassador of Waterkeepers Alliance, Honorary Member of the Academy of History of Ecuador, Ambassador of Enrich in Lac.

Her contributions have been recognized with numerous distinctions, including the Order of Democracy of the Congress of Colombia (Extraordinary Cross), the Order of Rio Branco (Grand Cross) from the Government of Brazil, and in 2023, the Simón Bolívar Medal for Latin American Integration awarded by the Andean Parliament. Additional honors include the Blue Castle Decoration from Bolivia, decoration by the State Legislature of Goias – Brazil with the medal of Legislative Merit, the “José Peralta” Decoration from the Provincial Government of Azuay (Ecuador), the Castilla-La Mancha House Award (Madrid), designation as “Amazonense Citizen” by the Legislative Assembly of the State of Amazonas (Brazil). She was named Latin American Woman of the Year (2016), included among the 100 Most Influential Latin Americans in Climate Change (2020), and has been awarded the Líneas de Oro Prize by the International Leadership Chamber, the POP Movement’s recognition for her work with youth on climate change, and the title of Honorary Chancellor of Tianjin Tianshi College (China).

She has been appointed Honorary Professor at Fujian University (China), San Martín University of Tarapoto (Peru), the Catholic University of Cuenca (Ecuador), and San Pablo-T University (Argentina). She has also received honorary doctorates from the International University of California, Yacambú University (Venezuela), Rai University (India), the University of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria (Spain), and the International Leadership Chamber, and holds an Honorary Doctorate in Philosophy and Humanities from the United Graduate College.

Her academic and intellectual production includes 17 published books encompassing essays, poetic prose, poetry, short stories, and children’s and young adult literature. Her poetry has been featured in anthologies both in Ecuador and internationally.

She is an active lecturer and advocate for education and environmental stewardship, contributes regularly to national and international media, and maintains opinion columns in both print and audiovisual platforms.