Multilateral Legal Diplomacy
and Leadership
In my capacity as Legal Adviser to the Permanent Mission of Ecuador to the United Nations in New York, I had the honor of representing my country in the Sixth Committee (Legal Affairs) and in the negotiation of multilateral treaties and deliberations on matters pertaining to international law, in particular on the work of the UN International Law Commission. I coordinated the negotiations of UN General Assembly Resolutions, including the first resolution on the responsibility of States for internationally wrongful acts (2001), one of the major contributions of the ILC to international law. This experience gave me great insight into the diverse perspectives and expectations that States bring to international legal processes.
As President of several international legal conferences and forums,
I have worked to ensure that all participants are heard and treated with fairness.
I believe this ethos of equal respect and open deliberation is essential to the integrity and legitimacy of the international legal system.
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As a professor and mentor, I have had the privilege of shaping generations of legal practitioners and diplomats. I have lectured at various universities, and participated in academic initiatives to foster dialogue between legal systems and traditions. Through this academic engagement, I have remained steadfastly committed to ensuring that international law is accessible, and responsive to the needs of the international community.
I have served on various occasions as the Legal Adviser of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ecuador. In this capacity, I have been directly involved in advising on the legal positions of my State in a wide range of areas, including international environmental law, international humanitarian law, the law of the sea, human rights, international criminal law, and the peaceful settlement of disputes. I have advised on complex bilateral and multilateral legal issues, including boundary delimitation, judicial cooperation and extradition, treaty interpretation, immigration, diplomatic and consular relations, and compliance with international obligations.
My participation in the negotiation of bilateral and multilateral treaties and other international instruments has been extensive.
I have served as Chair or Vice-Chair of negotiating committees and working groups, where I have sought consensus-based outcomes grounded in legal clarity and mutual respect. These experiences have sharpened my understanding of the legal, political, and cultural dimensions that underpin treaty and other instruments negotiations and State consent and have underscored the importance of impartial judicial resolution when disputes do arise.
