Martha Bárcena Coqui

Ambassador Martha Bárcena Coqui joined the Mexican Foreign Service in 1979 and became an ambassador in 2005. She most recently served as ambassador of Mexico to the United States. During her tenure, the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement was ratified and entered into force. She was the first female ambassador of Mexico to the United States and dealt with the vast array of issues of one of the most complex bilateral relationships. Ambassador Bárcena has authored multiple articles about the reconceptualization of security, international security, U.S.-Mexico security cooperation, peacekeeping operations, globalization, the role of nongovernmental organizations in international relations, intercultural communication and cultural diplomacy, EU-Mexico relations, and the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. Amb. Bárcena served as permanent representative in the Food and Agriculture Organization, International Fund for Agricultural Development, World Food Program, and the International Institute for the Unification of Private Law. She served also as ambassador of Mexico to Turkey concurrent with Georgia and the republics of Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, and Turkmenistan; the Kingdom of Denmark concurrent with Norway; and Iceland. Ambassador Bárcena graduated with honors from the Universidad Iberoamericana, where she received a BA in communication sciences. In addition, she has a BA in philosophy summa cum laude from the Pontifical Gregorian University in Rome, an MA in international relations from the Diplomatic School of Spain, and an MA in philosophy from the Universidad Iberoamericana. She has also completed postgraduate studies on the inter-American system, foreign policy of the United States, international law, civil-military relations, U.S. national security (Fulbright scholarship), Asian culture and Chinese language (University of Hong Kong), and peacekeeping operations (Lester B. Pearson Canadian International Peacekeeping Training Centre).