Elisenda Vives Balmaña is an

Andorra , image_flag = Flag of Andorra.svg , image_coat = Coat of arms of Andorra.svg , symbol_type = Coat of arms , national_motto = la, Virtus Unita Fortior, label=none (Latin)"United virtue is stro ...

n diplomat who has served as the country's

Permanent Representative A permanent representative is a diplomat who is the head of a country’s diplomatic mission to an international organisation. Organizations that receive permanent representatives from their member states include the United Nations, the World Tr ...

to the

United Nations The United Nations (UN) is an intergovernmental organization whose stated purposes are to maintain international peace and international security, security, develop friendly relations among nations, achieve international cooperation, and be ...

since November 2015. She is also Andorra's ambassador to the United States, Canada and Mexico, and former ambassador to Morocco and Italy.

Early life and education

Vives was born in

Barcelona Barcelona ( , , ) is a city on the coast of northeastern Spain. It is the capital and largest city of the autonomous community of Catalonia, as well as the second most populous municipality of Spain. With a population of 1.6 million within ci ...

Spain , image_flag = Bandera de España.svg , image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg , national_motto = ''Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond") , national_anthem = (English: "Royal March") , i ...

. Vives has a degree in philosophy and letters from the

Autonomous University of Barcelona The Autonomous University of Barcelona ( ca, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona; , es, Universidad Autónoma de Barcelona; UAB), is a public university mostly located in Cerdanyola del Vallès, near the city of Barcelona in Catalonia, Spain. ...

, a master's degrees in gender studies from the

University of Barcelona The University of Barcelona ( ca, Universitat de Barcelona, UB; ; es, link=no, Universidad de Barcelona) is a public university located in the city of Barcelona, Catalonia, in Spain. With 63,000 students, it is one of the biggest universities i ...

, a master's degree in Eastern Asian studies and a postgraduate degree in comparative politics from the

Open University of Catalonia The Open University of Catalonia ( ca, Universitat Oberta de Catalunya, UOC; ) is a private open university based in Barcelona, Spain. The UOC offers graduate and postgraduate programs in Catalan, Spanish and English in fields such as Psycholog ...

, a postgraduate degree in Andorran law from the

Universitat d'Andorra The University of Andorra ( ca, Universitat d'Andorra; ) is a public institution of higher education created in 1988, and the first university in Andorra. The university consists of the College of Health and Education Sciences, the College of Bu ...

and a doctorate in history from the Autonomous University of Barcelona.

Career

Vives was a professor of geography and history before working for the principality's Ministry of Foreign Affairs from 1992 until 2001. She was

ambassador An ambassador is an official envoy, especially a high-ranking diplomat who represents a state and is usually accredited to another sovereign state or to an international organization as the resident representative of their own government or sov ...

of Andorra to

Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical re ...

and

Morocco Morocco (),, ) officially the Kingdom of Morocco, is the westernmost country in the Maghreb region of North Africa. It overlooks the Mediterranean Sea to the north and the Atlantic Ocean to the west, and has land borders with Algeria to ...

from 2000 until 2001. Vives was Head of Protocol and Administrative Affairs of the

General Council General council may refer to: In education: * General Council (Scottish university), an advisory body to each of the ancient universities of Scotland * General Council of the University of St Andrews, the corporate body of all graduates and senio ...

from 2001 until 2015. She was President of the Andorran National Commission for

UNESCO The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) aimed at promoting world peace and security through international cooperation in education, arts, sciences and culture. It ...

from 2012 until 2015. Vives was appointed Andorra's Permanent Representative to the UN by

Prime Minister A prime minister, premier or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. Under those systems, a prime minister is not ...

Antoni Martí Antoni Martí Petit (; born 30 July 1963) is an Andorran architect and politician who served as the prime minister of Andorra from May 2011 to 16 May 2019, when he was elected on the ticket of the Democrats for Andorra. He was re-elected in the ...

on 3 November 2015. On 2 March 2016 she was also appointed as Andorra's ambassador to the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...

and

Mexico Mexico (Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a country in the southern portion of North America. It is bordered to the north by the United States; to the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; to the southeast by Guatema ...

. On 30 November 2016, Vives and her

Sri Lanka Sri Lanka (, ; si, ශ්‍රී ලංකා, Śrī Laṅkā, translit-std=ISO (); ta, இலங்கை, Ilaṅkai, translit-std=ISO ()), formerly known as Ceylon and officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, is an ...

n counterpart A. Rohan Perera signed a joint communique establishing

diplomatic relations Diplomacy comprises spoken or written communication by representatives of states (such as leaders and diplomats) intended to influence events in the international system.Ronald Peter Barston, ''Modern diplomacy'', Pearson Education, 2006, p. 1 ...

between the two countries.

Personal life

Vives is married and speaks four languages - Catalan, Spanish, French and English.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Vives Balmana, Elisenda Living people People from Barcelona Andorran people of Catalan descent Autonomous University of Barcelona alumni University of Barcelona alumni Andorran women ambassadors Permanent Representatives of Andorra to the United Nations Ambassadors of Andorra to Canada Ambassadors of Andorra to Italy Ambassadors of Andorra to Mexico Ambassadors of Andorra to Morocco Ambassadors of Andorra to the United States Year of birth missing (living people)