Maria Luiza Ribeiro Viotti (born on in
Belo HorizonteBelo Horizonte is the capital of and largest city in the state of Minas Gerais, located in the southeastern region of Brazil. It is the third largest metropolitan area in the country...
,
BrazilBrazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...
) is the
Permanent RepresentativeA Permanent Representative is the head of a diplomatic mission to one of various international organisations. The best known of the organisations to which states send Permanent Representatives is the United Nations; of these, the most high-profile ones are those assigned to headquarters in New...
of
BrazilBrazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...
to the
United NationsThe United Nations is an international organization whose stated aims are facilitating cooperation in international law, international security, economic development, social progress, human rights, and achievement of world peace...
, as of 25 July 2007. Viotti was the
President of the United Nations Security CouncilThe President of the United Nations Security Council is the presiding officer of that body. The president is the head of the delegation from the Security Council member state that holds the rotating presidency.-Selection:...
for the month of February 2011. She is married to Eduardo Baumgratz Viotti and has a son.
Education
Viotti has a bachelor’s degree in
economicsEconomics is the social science that analyzes the production, distribution, and consumption of goods and services. The term economics comes from the Ancient Greek from + , hence "rules of the house"...
from the
University of BrasiliaThe University of Brasília , is one of the largest and most prestigious Brazilian public universities funded by the Brazilian federal government...
, which she received in 1979. She has a post-graduate degree in the same subject, which she completed in 1981, from the same university. She attended the
Rio Branco InstituteThe Rio Branco Institute is a graduate school of International Relations and diplomatic academy located in Brasília, Brazil. The institute was created on April 18, 1945, as part of the centennial celebration of the birth of the Baron of Rio Branco...
, the Brazilian diplomatic academy.
Career
Viotti joined the Brazilian Foreign Service in 1976. She held several positions within the
Ministry of External RelationsThe Ministry of External Relations conducts Brazil's foreign relations with other countries. It is commonly referred to in Brazilian media and diplomatic jargon as the Itamaraty, after the palace which hosts the ministry...
, including:
- Director-General of the Department of International Organizations;
- Director-General of the Department of Human Rights and Social Affairs;
- Secretary-General of the South America Division;
- Executive Coordinator in the cabinet of the Minister of External Relations.
Overseas assignments
Viotti served as Counselor at the Brazilian Embassy in
La PazNuestra Señora de La Paz is the administrative capital of Bolivia, as well as the departmental capital of the La Paz Department, and the second largest city in the country after Santa Cruz de la Sierra...
,
BoliviaBolivia officially known as Plurinational State of Bolivia , is a landlocked country in central South America. It is the poorest country in South America...
, from 1993 to 1995.
United Nations
From 1985 to 1989, Viotti served as a First Secretary at the Brazilian Mission to the United Nations.
In 1999, Viotti returned to the Brazilian Mission to the United Nations as a Minister-Counselor. She was the Vice-Chairperson of the
Preparatory Committee for the Johannesburg World Summit on Sustainable DevelopmentThe World Summit on Sustainable Development, WSSD or Earth Summit 2002 took place in Johannesburg, South Africa, from 26 August to 4 September 2002. It was convened to discuss sustainable development by the United Nations. WSSD gathered a number of leaders from business and non-governmental...
and led Brazil's delegation to the negotiations in preparation for the International Conference on Financing for Development. Viotti was also a member of the
Economic and Social CouncilThe Economic and Social Council of the United Nations constitutes one of the six principal organs of the United Nations and it is responsible for the coordination of the economic, social and related work of 14 UN specialized agencies, its functional commissions and five regional commissions...
’s Ad Hoc Group on
Guinea-BissauThe Republic of Guinea-Bissau is a country in West Africa. It is bordered by Senegal to the north, and Guinea to the south and east, with the Atlantic Ocean to its west....
.
In 2005, she assumed the post of
Chargé d'affairesIn diplomacy, chargé d’affaires , often shortened to simply chargé, is the title of two classes of diplomatic agents who head a diplomatic mission, either on a temporary basis or when no more senior diplomat has been accredited.-Chargés d’affaires:Chargés d’affaires , who were...
of Brazil to the United Nations. Viotti was appointed Permanent Representative of Brazil to the United Nations by
PresidentThe president of Brazil is both the head of state and head of government of the Federative Republic of Brazil. The president leads the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the Brazilian Armed Forces...
Luiz Inácio Lula da SilvaLuiz Inácio Lula da Silva , known popularly as Lula, served as the 35th President of Brazil from 2003 to 2010.A founding member of the Workers' Party , he ran for President three times unsuccessfully, first in the 1989 election. Lula achieved victory in the 2002 election, and was inaugurated as...
on 5 January 2007. Viotti presented her credentials to UN Secretary-General
Ban Ki-moonBan Ki-moon is the eighth and current Secretary-General of the United Nations, after succeeding Kofi Annan in 2007. Before going on to be Secretary-General, Ban was a career diplomat in South Korea's Ministry of Foreign Affairs and in the United Nations. He entered diplomatic service the year he...
on 25 July 2007. Viotti was the
President of the United Nations Security CouncilThe President of the United Nations Security Council is the presiding officer of that body. The president is the head of the delegation from the Security Council member state that holds the rotating presidency.-Selection:...
for the month of February 2011, when Brazil held the rotating presidency of the Council.
External links