Now more than ever, we stand with the people of Ecuador and are very proud to announce that the closing speaker of Sustainable Brands Bracelona will be Rosalía Arteaga, former President and Vice President of the Andean country whos is recovering for a terrible earthquake. A truly global leader who will inspire the audience.
In our global civilisation, the actions of each and every individual lead society in one of two directions: towards progress, democracy, peace and cohabitation; or towards ignorance, fear, violence and poverty.
Rosalía Arteaga has led her life, guided by her principles, for the common good of society in all of her different roles. For example, despite her catholic upbringing and beliefs, she did not hesitate to resign as Minister of Education of Ecuador when the Congress passed a law imposing a daily hour of Catholic religion in public schools. She is a unique and exceptional addition to the Sustainable Brands Barcelona program, and one who is active on social media:
“Former President and Vice President of Ecuador, Ex-Secretary of OTCA, President of FIDAL. Writer, lawyer, journalist, anthropologist, educator, politician.” – (from twitter @RosaliaArteaga)
She is in charge of the special concluding remarks Sustainable Brands Barcelona. The distinct closing presentation differs from the bulk of the professional conferences. Last year, a Buddhist monk spoke with the founder of Sustainable Brands, adding his perspective and insight to the themes of the summit (watch the inspirational closing conversation here).
Rosalía Arteaga was Vice-President of Ecuador in 1997 when Congress relieved President Abdala Bucaram of his position. Arteaga became President; however, schemes of political adversaries and the army soon forced her out of the position. She has always denounced this move as illegal and motivated by the deep chauvinism of the country’s leaders at the time. Nevertheless, Doctor Rosalía Arteaga is the only Ecuadorian woman that has achieved Constitutional Presidency and Vice-Presidency of Ecuador.
After vacating active politics in her country, she spent her time writing, and promoting gender equality, education and social justice in Ecuador, Latin America and the whole world. Rosalía Arteaga has forged, developed, and worked for numerous educational and developmental organisations related to sustainability.
One of her focuses is FIDAL (from Spanish; the Foundation for the Integration and Development of Latin America), which seeks to promote innovative teaching practices to improve quality of education in Latin America. They empower primary and secondary school teachers from formal and non-formal sectors, recognising innovative actions taken in and out of class and granting scholarships, exchange programs, educational materials, books, and regional visibility to encourage innovative teachers.
From May 2004 to June 2007 Arteaga was Secretary General of OTCA (from Portuguese; the Amazon Cooperation Treaty Organisation), an international group dedicated to promoting sustainable development, and in June 2007 she received the Decoration of Rio Branco, among other awards, for her meritorious service to Brazil.
She served on the Board of Directors of CATIE (from Spanish; The Centre of Tropical Agricultural Research and Education) in Costa Rica from 2007 to 2012, an international entity combining science, graduate education and innovation for development in Latin America and the Caribbean. Arteaga aided them in increasing human well-being by providing education, research, and outreach for sustainable management of agriculture and conservation of natural resources. Together they nurtured professionals with distinct perspectives who sustainably grow communities.
Rosalía Arteaga is a board certified lawyer, Doctor in Jurisprudence, Graduate of Journalism and Master in Anthropology. She has been a member of the International Federation of Attorneys, the Encyclopaedia Britannica Editorial Board of Advisors, and until 2007 she was Director of the Regional Natura Foundation.
She has presented at countless international events in places such as Austria, Rome, Chile, the economic forum in Montreal, STS Forum in Kyoto, and Campus de Excelencia in Madrid. She has published numerous books and works with several newspapers and publications in Ecuador and abroad.
Since 2014, Rosalía Arteaga has been a member of the World Academy of Arts and Science. She is currently President of the Assessing Board of FIDAL and Executive President of her company, A.S. Producciones.
Much like last year’s closing speaker, she will provide some vital perspective on the material of the conference. Her experience in politics and education, encouraging international government cooperation, and inspiring individuals from varying parts of society to innovate for sustainability form a prized viewpoint.
We must not forget that the attendees and speakers not only represent companies, brands and stakeholders, they also represent a global society where each one of us holds the position and responsibility of working and uniting strengths to build a prosperous, sustainable and peaceful world. Rosalía Arteaga’s expertise and perspective promises to make for an entertaining, informative, and inspiring take home message from Sustainable Brands Barcelona 2016 (22nd to 24th of May, 2016). We are thrilled to have her as our distinguished closing speaker.
“From President of Ecuador to environmental and education activist, Rosalía Arteaga’s career is a testimony to the power individuals can wield if they dedicate their lives to a good cause.” – Executive-Outlook.com