Carlos Ruiz-Hernández is a Panamanian diplomat and international policy expert with over 15 years of experience in multilateral diplomacy, U.S.–Latin America relations, and hemispheric governance. Most recently, he served as Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Panama (2024–2025), where he led the country’s foreign policy amid heightened regional tensions and complex migration challenges.
As Panama’s lead on the United Nations Security Council, Ruiz-Hernández advocated for multilateral, pragmatic approaches to global security, including counterterrorism initiatives and governance strategies for migration in the Americas. His leadership in negotiations with the Trump administration on Panama Canal sovereignty and migration policy underscored his diplomatic skill in navigating sensitive hemispheric issues.
Previously, as Ambassador and Deputy Permanent Representative to the United Nations, he contributed to global policy frameworks on climate change, energy transition, and extractive industries—areas closely aligned with the Dialogue’s research agenda. He worked in partnership with UN agencies to design and implement development programs throughout Latin America and the Caribbean.
A trained international lawyer, Ruiz-Hernández has advised public and private clients on investment arbitration, public international law, and cross-border finance, with a focus on Latin American markets and legal-financial governance.
His policy analysis has been featured in Americas Quarterly and the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS). He has also appeared on PBS NewsHour, CBS, Fox News, and ABC News, offering commentary on migration and U.S.–Panama relations.
Ruiz-Hernández has conducted research at Johns Hopkins University’s School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS) and is currently pursuing a Master of Public Policy at the University of Chicago’s Harris School of Public Policy. He frequently lectures on hemispheric affairs at institutions such as the Council on Foreign Relations and various universities.
He holds a Master of International Public Policy from Johns Hopkins SAIS, two degrees from Tulane University, and a law degree from Universidad Católica de Panamá. He has lived and worked in Geneva, Brussels, Washington, D.C, New York, and across the Americas.
