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Relations between Latin America and the Asia-Pacific region are at a crossroads. It took less than 20 years for Asia to become Latin America's second largest economic partner. With the emergence of new trade arrangements, such as the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) in 2020, Latin American countries have an opportunity to deepen trade and investment links with Asia even further. At the same time, competition between the US and China in the Asia-Pacific is heightening regional security concerns. How will Latin American countries address trade barriers, promote diversified relationships and deal with rising strategic tension in the Asia-Pacific? What are the prospects that the Pacific Alliance, formed in 2012 and comprising Chile, Colombia, Mexico, and Peru - with Ecuador a prospective member, can serve as a bridge linking Asia and the Americas?
Join us for a lively discussion about Latin America's perspectives on the Asia-Pacific region with a panel of Ambassadors from Ecuador and Chile and the Chargé d'Affaires of Colombia. Before the discussion starts, the Embassies have kindly offered to serve some chocolate (from Ecuador), coffee (from Colombia) and wine (from Chile) for in-house participants. We hope this taste of Latin America is an inducement to register and attend in person! Join us from 5:30pm to enjoy the drinks and nibbles.
Agenda
- Pre-presentation drinks + nibbles
- Panel with guest speakers
Arturo Cabrera-Hidalgo•Jaime Chomali•Diana Mercedes Carvajal Toscano
Arturo Cabrera-Hidalgo
Ambassador of Ecuador to Australia, New Zealand and FijiArturo Cabrera-Hidalgo is a career diplomat and has been a member of the Ecuadorian Foreign Service since October 1988. He presented his credentials as Ecuador’s Ambassador to Australia, New Zealand and Fiji in April 2022.
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Arturo has held senior diplomatic positions at home and abroad. His overseas postings include Ambassador and Deputy Permanent Representative of Ecuador to the United Nations in Geneva (2016-2018); Representative of Ecuador to the International Court of Justice in The Hague (2012-2014); as well as senior positions in the Ecuador mission in Ankara, UN New York and Washington DC.
At home, Arturo served as Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs and Acting Foreign Minister of Ecuador in 2020-2021. In the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, he has had senior positions responsible for multilateral affairs, intelligence and international migration policy. In 2012, he was appointed President of the National Section of the Permanent Commission of the South Pacific.
Arturo has more than 24 years of academic experience, as a lecturer, researcher and visiting professor in institutions such as the Diplomatic Academy of Ecuador, Cambridge University, Ho Chi Minh University, and the University of Macao. He has published articles on international relations and human rights in The Cambridge Review of International Affairs, UN News and in media outlets in Ecuador and abroad. He is the author of ‘International Cooperation Regimes in Security and Intelligence’ (Leiden 2020), and co-author of books on foreign policy and international relations. He was awarded a PhD from the University of Leiden for his thesis on International Cooperation Regimes in Security and Strategic Intelligence.
Jaime Chomali
Ambassador of Chile to AustraliaJaime Chomali is a lawyer and career diplomat of the Republic of Chile. His overseas postings have been in Europe, Latin America and Asia.
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Before his assignment as Ambassador to Australia, he was Ambassador to Vietnam concurrently to Laos, Ambassador-designate to China and Ambassador to Ethiopia, concurrently to Djibouti and Observer to the African Union.
In the Chilean Ministry of Foreign affairs, Jaime’s last position before coming to Australia was Director of Human Rights. Previously in the Ministry, he served as Deputy Director in the Technology, Energy and Innovation Division. He has also served in the President’s Office and held the position of diplomatic coordinator in the Ministry of Publics Works. He is a graduate of the Chilean Diplomatic Academy.
Diana Mercedes Carvajal Toscano
Minister Plenipotentiary at Embassy of the Republic of Colombia to Australia and New ZealandDiana Carvajal Toscano is Minister Plenipotentiary at the Embassy of the Republic of Colombia to Australia and New Zealand. Following an earlier posting in Canberra (2011-2016), Diana took up her current position in November 2020 and was appointed Chargé d'Affaires on 15 October 2022.
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Diana joined the Colombian foreign service in 2001. Her diplomatic career has included postings in Washington (2019-2020), where she was responsible for environmental, science and technology, health and economic issues; the Dominican Republic (2004-2009) and Canberra.
At the Colombian Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Bogotá, between 2018 and 2019, as Coordinator of Multilateral Economic Affairs in the Directorate of Multilateral Economic, Social and Environmental Affairs, Diana led efforts to open Colombia’s Permanent Mission to the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD). In 2009-2011, she worked in the Coordination for South-South Cooperation, where she set up mixed commissions for cooperation between Colombia and other South American countries.
Diana is a graduate in Finance and International Relations from the Externado de Colombia University, with a master's degree in analysis of contemporary international political and economic problems. She speaks Spanish, English and French.
- Audience Q + A
