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María Cristina "Marita" Perceval (born 10 September 1956) is an Argentine politician and member of the Justicialist Party. She was the Permanent Representative of Argentina to the
United Nations The United Nations (UN) is an intergovernmental organization whose stated purposes are to maintain international peace and security, develop friendly relations among nations, achieve international cooperation, and be a centre for harmoniz ...
from September 2012 to February 2016, and served as a National Senator for
Mendoza Province Mendoza, officially Province of Mendoza, is a province of Argentina, in the western central part of the country in the Cuyo region. It borders San Juan to the north, La Pampa and Neuquén to the south, San Luis to the east, and the republic o ...
from 2001 to 2009.


Biography

Perceval was born in
Mendoza, Argentina Mendoza (, ), officially the City of Mendoza ( es, Ciudad de Mendoza) is the capital of the province of Mendoza in Argentina. It is located in the northern-central part of the province, in a region of foothills and high plains, on the eastern si ...
, to Julio Perceval, a musician and founder of the music department of the
National University of Cuyo The National University of Cuyo ( es, Universidad Nacional de Cuyo, UNCuyo) is the largest center of higher education in the province of Mendoza, Argentina. As of 2005, the university had 12 academic schools in the city of Mendoza and a delegat ...
(UNCuyo), and Alejandrina Suárez, the first female organist in Argentina. She graduated with a degree in Philosophy with a special focus on Gender Studies, Epistemology and Human Rights from the UNCuyo (1980). She began a career in academia as a university professor and in public administration, coordinating projects for the provincial governments of Mendoza and Buenos Aires Provinces as well as the Argentine Chamber of Deputies. Perceval was the Project Director of Research on Epistemology, Gender Studies, and Human Rights at UNCuyo from 1988 to 1992; Assistant Professor of the History of Sciences, Philosophy, and Metaphysics at her alma mater between 1990 and 2001; and Professor of Advanced Epistemology at UNCuyo between 1998 and 2001. She founded and served as Director of the Institute of Social Management at the University of Aconcagua, and served as President of the Institute for Women in Mendoza from 1993 to 1995.Marita Perceval: "Todavía existe una segmentación política de género en los espacios de las comisiones"
'' Página/12'', 7 March 2008.
María Perceval is married and has three children. She authored numerous articles and studies on
children's rights Children's rights are a subset of human rights with particular attention to the rights of special protection and care afforded to minors.
and
women's rights Women's rights are the rights and entitlements claimed for women and girls worldwide. They formed the basis for the women's rights movement in the 19th century and the feminist movements during the 20th and 21st centuries. In some countries, ...
. Perceval followed her early political mentor, José Bordón, and other left-wing
Peronists Peronism, also called justicialism,. The Justicialist Party is the main Peronist party in Argentina, it derives its name from the concept of social justice., name=, group= is an Argentine political movement based on the ideas and legacy of Ar ...
into the
FrePaSo The Front for a Country in Solidarity ( or ) was a center-left political coalition in Argentina. It was formed in 1994 out of the Broad Front (''Frente Grande''), which had been founded mainly by progressive members of the Peronist Justicialist ...
coalition ahead of the 1995 election, but later returned to the Justicialist Party. She was elected to the Senate for
Mendoza Province Mendoza, officially Province of Mendoza, is a province of Argentina, in the western central part of the country in the Cuyo region. It borders San Juan to the north, La Pampa and Neuquén to the south, San Luis to the east, and the republic o ...
in 2001 and re-elected in 2003, later joining the majority
Front for Victory The Front for Victory ( es, Frente para la Victoria, FPV) was a centre-left Peronist electoral alliance in Argentina, and is formally a faction of the Justicialist Party. Former presidents Néstor Kirchner and Cristina Fernández de Kirchner we ...
parliamentary caucus. She pursued a greater role for women in Senate committees historically chaired and dominated by men, and in 2007 become chairwoman of the Defense Committee; in that capacity she became known for an unsuccessful effort in 2008 to rescind military courts martial in favor a
civil trial In law, a trial is a coming together of parties to a dispute, to present information (in the form of evidence) in a tribunal, a formal setting with the authority to adjudicate claims or disputes. One form of tribunal is a court. The tribunal, ...
s, as she believed that courts martial deprive servicemen and women of due process. Senator Perceval also focused on the strengthening of democracy and democratic institutions, as well as promoting civil, political, social, cultural, and economic human rights. Some of the most notable bills she authored include ''Regulación de la Tenencia de Armas'' (Regulations on Gun Possession) in 2002, and ''Plan de Desarme'' ( Action Plan on Disarmament for light weapons) in 2006. Perceval also authored bills against
violence against women Violence against women (VAW), also known as gender-based violence and sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV), are violent acts primarily or exclusively committed against women or girls, usually by men or boys. Such violence is often con ...
, among them “Prevention and Punishment of Human Trafficking” (2008) and “Prevention and Punishment of Violence Against Women” (2009). While Senator she stood as César Biffi's running mate in his unsuccessful 2007 campaign for Governor of Mendoza, a ticket endorsed by outgoing governor and vice-presidential candidate
Julio Cobos Julio César Cleto Cobos (; born 30 April 1955) is an Argentine politician who was the Vice President of Argentina in the administration of President Cristina Fernández de Kirchner from 2007 to 2011. He started his political career as member of ...
. A close ally of President
Cristina Fernández de Kirchner Cristina Elisabet Fernández de Kirchner (; born 19 February 1953), often referred to by her initials CFK, is an Argentine lawyer and politician who has served as the Vice President of Argentina since 2019. She also served as the President o ...
, Perceval was named Undersecretary for Institutional Reform and Strengthening of Democracy for the Cabinet Chief of Argentina upon the end of her term in the Senate in 2009, and in 2010 was named Under-Secretary for Human Rights at the Ministry of Justice and Human Rights. Her tenure focused mainly on the promotion and the advancement of human rights for vulnerable communities such as Afro-Argentines, the LGBT community, and migrants; she also worked to advance women and children’s rights and the struggle against human trafficking within the national agenda.


Tenure at United Nations

Following the appointment of UN Representative
Jorge Argüello Jorge Martín Arturo Argüello (born 20 April 1956) is an Argentine politician and diplomat. He is the Ambassador of Argentina to the United States. Argüello served as Permanent Representative of Argentina to the United Nations between 20 ...
as 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 territori ...
, Perceval was selected to succeed him in the post in September 2012 (replacing the acting UN Representative, chargé d'affaires Mateo Estreme). Perceval´s appointment as Ambassador to the United Nations was approved unanimously by Congress, and she presented her credentials before UN Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon on November 23, 2012. Ambassador Perceval’s mandate as the Head of the Argentine Mission is focused mainly on
multilateralism In international relations, multilateralism refers to an alliance of multiple countries pursuing a common goal. Definitions Multilateralism, in the form of membership in international institutions, serves to bind powerful nations, discourage ...
and the peaceful settlement of international disputes. Perceval's appointment coincided with Argentina's election as a non-permanent member of the
Security Council The United Nations Security Council (UNSC) is one of the six principal organs of the United Nations (UN) and is charged with ensuring international peace and security, recommending the admission of new UN members to the General Assembly, an ...
for the 2013-2014 term, and was followed by the election of Argentina in August 2013 to preside the Security Council. Perceval is a supporter of the
Campaign for the Establishment of a United Nations Parliamentary Assembly Campaign or The Campaign may refer to: Types of campaigns * Campaign, in agriculture, the period during which sugar beets are harvested and processed *Advertising campaign, a series of advertisement messages that share a single idea and theme *Bl ...
, an organisation which campaigns for democratic reform in the United Nations, and the creation of a more accountable international political system.


References


External links

*
Senate profileArgentina in the United Nations
{{DEFAULTSORT:Perceval, Maria 1956 births Living people People from Mendoza Province National University of Cuyo alumni National University of Cuyo faculty Argentine women's rights activists Argentine feminists Members of the Argentine Senate for Mendoza Permanent Representatives of Argentina to the United Nations Justicialist Party politicians Front for a Country in Solidarity politicians Women members of the Argentine Senate Argentine women diplomats Argentine women ambassadors