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An engineer by profession, graduate of the University of El Salvador (1991); with a master's degree in Training Engineering and Employment Systems, from the University of Toulouse, France (2000); holds studies in Business Administration and Management, from the Central American University "Doctor José Simeón Cañas,” El Salvador (1995); Human Resources Administration, at the Latin American University of Science and Technology, Costa Rica (1996).
He has studied Senior Management, at the Central American Institute of Business Administration, INCAE of Costa Rica (1992) and the Central American University "Doctor José Simeón Cañas de El Salvador" (1994); as well as internships specializing in the Political Systems of the United States, Spain, and Sweden (1993). He speaks Spanish, French, and English.
He has worked professionally at the Central American University Higher Council, CSUCA (1996); director of External Cooperation at the University of El Salvador (1997); as a member of the Advisory Committee of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of El Salvador (2000-2009) and as President of the Specialized Institute in Higher Education for Diplomatic Training, IESFORD (2009-2018).
He has published numerous articles on International Relations, Diplomacy, Human Rights, Migration, Sustainable Development, Climate Change, Peace, and Security.
His parliamentary experience began in 1994 in the Legislative Assembly of El Salvador. Subsequently, from 2003, he served as president of the Committee on Culture and Education and chairman of the Committee on Foreign Affairs, Central American and Salvadoran Integration abroad, from where he participated in the Forum of Presidents of Legislative Powers of Central America and the Caribbean (FOPREL) and the Inter-Parliamentary Union (UPI).
He took over as Minister of Foreign Affairs on June 1, 2009, from which he led El Salvador's initiative in relaunching the Central American integration process. He founded the vice ministry of cooperation for development achieving unprecedented resource mobilization. He also established the South-South cooperation direction, managing more than 100 partnership projects. With this leadership, the country was elected technical secretary of the Ibero-American Cooperation System.
On 27 June 2013, he was elected Secretary-General of Central American Integration System (SICA) and took office on 1 July 2013 from where he achieved a larger budget and the institutional strengthening.
On 1 June 2014, he again took over as Minister of Foreign Affairs of El Salvador, serving until May 2018 from where he achieved the presidency of the United Nations Human Rights Council (UN) and led the work for the migrant communities.
He has been decorated by the governments of Belize, Bolivia, Chile, Spain, Guatemala, Italy, Panama, Peru, as well as by the General Secretariat of SICA, for his efforts regarding regional integration and strengthens bilateral relations.
He currently serves as a consultant at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Dominican Republic and the Food and Agriculture Organization of The United Nations in Central America.
He is a Fellow of the sixth class of the Central America Leadership Initiative and a member of the Aspen Global Leadership Network.
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