Maria de los Angeles Loayza, Women in Global Health Senior Gender Specialist, is a Bolivian citizen with a 20-year career in governance and gender equality, spanning roles in Haiti, the Dominican Republic, Colombia, Bolivia, and Belgium. Her efforts in service to gender equality and empowering women and girls as Senior Development Officer at the Canadian Embassy in Bolivia, in particular her exceptional contributions to development innovation training in Bolivia, earned her a nomination for the Deputy Minister Award of Excellence in Canada in 2022. She led projects that empowered women and girls, such as value chains, women’s entrepreneurship, sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR), as well as leadership and political participation of women. Additionally, Masa Loayza has played pivotal roles as the Program Manager for Joint Programs at the UN and a technical advisor for UNDP in Haiti and Bolivia, concentrating on criminal law reform and the democratization of justice through collaboration with civil society. Her UN work also championed the rights of consultation for indigenous people in Bolivia and contributed to the peace transition post-constitutional assembly, along with the implementation of the new constitution in 2009. Her academic background includes studies in Law and Human Development in Bolivia and Argentina.