Maria Luiza Ribeiro Viotti

Maria Luiza Ribeiro Viotti entered Brazil’s diplomatic service in 1976 after studying at the Rio Branco Institute. An economics graduate of the University of Brasília, she served in Bolivia and repeatedly at Brazil’s United Nations mission, and directed the foreign ministry’s human rights and international organizations departments. ^{1, 2}

As Brazil’s permanent representative to the United Nations from 2007 to 2013, Viotti led its delegation during its 2010–2011 Security Council term and presided over the Council in February 2011. She subsequently became ambassador to Germany, serving from 2013 to 2016, and under-secretary for Asia and the Pacific, with responsibility for Brazil’s BRICS coordination. António Guterres selected her as his chef de cabinet when he became UN secretary-general; she held that post from 2017 to 2021. ^{1, 2}

Viotti presented her credentials as ambassador in Washington to President Joe Biden on 30 June 2023. Her posting later became directly entangled in a bilateral dispute: in August 2026 the United States revoked her visa amid disagreements over approval of the American ambassador-designate and visas for American officials. Brazil publicly rejected the stated justifications. Subsequent reporting distinguished limits on her ability to leave and re-enter the United States from expulsion, and reported that Brazil intended to keep her at the embassy. ^{3, 4, 5}