María Arboleda

María Arboleda holds degrees in Sociology and Political Science from the Central University of Quito and a master's in Chinese Philosophy from the Universidad San Francisco de Quito and Beijing University. She also has training as a Local Management Senior Specialist (Universidad Andina Simón Bolívar), and a Diploma in "Asia-Pacific Development Issues" from the Latin American Council of Social Sciences. Since 2010 she has also been a Professor in the Gender and Public Policy Program of the Latin American Union of Municipal Leaders (UIM). In 2008-2009 she was Senior Professor in a program on local urban development supported by the European Union and the Municipality of Barcelona. Ms. Arboleda has been an instructor with HECUA for over ten years. She continues to act as a consultant on gender, multiculturalism, and decentralization. She has worked with UNIFEM, INSTRAW, OnuMujeres, the National Council of Women of Ecuador, the Latin American Network of Women Local Authorities, the International Union of Local Authorities - Latin American Chapter, among others. She has studied women in local governments in Ecuador and Latin America and plays an advisory role for local government on public policies that guarantee women's rights.