Both his long diplomatic experience and his work in conflict resolution are the traits that stand out in the resume of the new ambassador of Colombia at the UN

One of the new pieces in the political chess of the new president of Colombia, Iván Duque, is Guillermo Fernández de Soto, an old diplomat who will now represent this country at the United Nations. Who is Fernández de Soto? Which has been his trajectory? What does his appointment imply in terms of human rights?

Guillermo Fernández de Soto in diplomacy

Fernández de Soto is a politician and diplomat born in the capital of the coffee country in 1940. His academic career has been remarkable, according to Semana magazine. This diplomat finished his studies in jurisprudence and economics at Javeriana University in 1997, after which he completed a Master's degree in International Relations at Georgetown University, Washington.

Subsequently, the Colombian would culminate his outstanding academic career with a postgraduate degree at Harvard University on conflict management, a postgraduate course that he would use in his career as a diplomat. His career in diplomacy is also quite extensive. According to El Tiempo, Fernández de Soto has held important positions related to Colombia's international relations during several presidential terms. His first position in this field was in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Colombia when Andrés Pastrana was president between 1998 and 2002.

The most remarkable thing about his position is that he had to preside over the presidency of the United Nations Security Council of the non-permanent members. After these charges, explains El Tiempo, three appointments in high-ranking posts followed: secretary of the Andean Community, president of the Chamber of Commerce of Bogotá and the embassy of the Netherlands.

Leer en español: ¿Quién es el nuevo embajador de Colombia ante la ONU?

Regarding his work in conflict resolution, Fernández de Soto held two positions that were very important in his time for Colombia. "He was part of the Colombian delegation before the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights and was appointed as Executive Secretary of Colombia in the National Commissions of Border Affairs Colombo-Venezuelans, an entity created in 1989," El Tiempo highlights. Now, his new position as representative of the UN for Colombia will test all the diplomatic baggage he has.

You can also read: Who is Alejandro Ordóñez, the new ambassador of Colombia at OAS?

What will be his role in terms of Human Rights?

His position on Human Rights is still not very clear. Independently that this diplomat from Bogotá has been appointed by President Duque, Colombia's position before multilateral and bilateral organizations has always been respectful in International Law, the UN Charter and the OAS Charter.

This has been widely mentioned by the prominent diplomat and professor at the Universidad del Rosario, Julio Londoño Paredes, in different columns written for the newspaper El Espectador. There will probably be some nuances when voting on important issues for the UN, such as voting related to Palestine, Israel, the Middle East, Nicaragua, Venezuela and Cuba.

Is there a mole in his diplomatic career?

In reality, there have not been many circumstances or problems that prevent him from representing Colombia. One of the most famous cases in which Fernandez de Soto was involved was in 2000. According to Semana, the wife of this diplomat had some accusations by Senator Gustavo Petro, by a decision of the Ministry of Environment at that time to expand the extension of Colombia, which supposedly favored some people with a lot of money, like his wife.

Another event that could be highlighted was when he left the diplomatic corps to defend the process before the International Court over the maritime problem between Nicaragua and Colombia. According to El Espectador, he had to leave his position because he was appointed in another position to represent Colombia before another international entity, so that problems of impediments or conflicts of interest could arise.

LatinAmerican Post | Miguel Díaz

Translated from "Guillermo Fernández de Soto: el nuevo embajador de Colombia ante la ONU"