In March 2024, Mrs Ivonne A-Baki was appointed ambassador of Ecuador to France, continuing her legacy of fostering international cooperation and cultural integration. She is an artist, painter, diplomat, peace negotiator, humanist, and politician. A multifaceted woman who is driven by her ideals.
Ambassador A-Baki was born in Guayaquil, Ecuador of Arab Lebanese parents. She got involved from a very young age in the world of arts through dance and classical music that have inspired her the magic and power of art to unite ideals, cultures, people and nations.
She was an artist in residence at Harvard University and she created the Harvard Arts for Peace Foundation by organizing many joint exhibitions and art shows between countries in war as a way of achieving her goals in building bridges and finding solutions. In parallel, she established the Beyond Boundaries Foundation to improve the health of the poor people of the Republic of Ecuador. Currently, the Foundation is focusing its efforts to educate people about the diagnosis and early treatment of tuberculosis and diabetes.
Ambassador A-Baki has had a very distinguished career as diplomat, politician and academic as Honorary Consul of Ecuador in Beirut, Honorary Consul of Ecuador in Boston, ambassador to the United States of America, ambassador to Qatar and ambassador Non-Resident of Ecuador to Iraq, Kuwait, Lebanon, Jordan, Oman and Syria.
She was member of the Board of Directors of the “Conflict Management Group”, led by Prof. Roger Fisher, in Harvard University. She had an active participation on the achievement of the Peace Agreements between Ecuador and Peru, signed in October 26th, 1998.
Between 2003 and 2005, A-Baki became the first woman to be posted as Ecuador’s Minister of Foreign Trade, Industry, Regional Integration, Fisheries, and Competitiveness. She represented Ecuador at the Andean Parliament and was President of the Commission for Economic Affairs of the European Latin – American Parliament (EUROLAT).
Very committed to conservation, Mrs. A-Baki created the Galapagos Conservancy Foundation which has achieved important goals to create consciousness for protecting the environment in many countries and protecting fragile species. She played as well an important role in the creation in January 2022 of the New “Hermandad” (Brotherhood) Marine Reserve that includes 60 thousand additional kilometers to the current protected area of the Galapagos Islands. This fact ensured that Ecuador’s actions in favor of the environment were disseminated and recognized globally.
Ambassador A-Baki was awarded the Global Citizen Prize by the Patel Foundation for Global Understanding, shared with Mr. Muhammad Yunus. She has been a Goodwill ambassador for the UNESCO Dialogue of Civilizations, in recognition of her contribution to the Organization’s work in the field of dialogue among cultures.
A-Baki was an event speaker at the Dialogue.
