Two worlds, one life
Ambassador A‑Baki was born in Guayaquil, Ecuador, with roots in Lebanon. Her life would come to span two worlds, and the divides between them are the ones she has spent a career working to close.
HER STORYThe promise
The promise
behind the work.
A diplomat who participated in a peace process. A mother who lived through war. A life of public service shaped by Ecuador and Lebanon. This is the story, and the record that follows from it.
THE BEGINNING
From a basement in Beirut to the world's convening table
- Born
- Guayaquil, Ecuador
Public biography
- Heritage
- Ecuadorian, with Lebanese roots
Public biography
- Languages
- Spanish, Arabic, English, French, German
- Education
- Harvard Kennedy School; arts studies in Paris
- Family
- Mother of three
Public biography
The promise in Beirut
In her account of the Lebanese civil war, one moment defines the work that followed. As bombs fell above a basement in Beirut, she sheltered with her three children. Her eldest daughter asked: “Mommy, are we going to die?” She describes making a promise that night: if her children were spared, she would devote her life to peace.
Learning the craft of peace
Her published professional record records studies at the Harvard Kennedy School and membership of Roger Fisher's Conflict Management Group. It lists her as an adviser to the President of Ecuador during the negotiations that led to the 1998 Ecuador–Peru peace agreement.
Hugo Ortiz Ron / Asamblea Nacional · CC BY-SA 2.0
A lifetime at the table
She went on to serve twice as Ecuador's Ambassador to the United States, as Ambassador to France and Monaco, and as resident Ambassador to Qatar with concurrent accreditation across the Middle East. She led Ecuador's Ministry of Foreign Trade, presided over the Andean Parliament, and represented the Yasuní-ITT Initiative. Across these roles, dialogue has remained central to her approach: bringing people to the same table and building the trust that makes progress possible.
“Mommy, are we going to die?” My daughter asked me that in a basement in Beirut. I made a promise that night, and I have spent forty years keeping it.
THE RECORDA life
A life
in service.
19981998–20022003–20052007–20092007–20132017–20202020–20242024
Ecuador–Peru Peace Agreement
Advisor to the President of Ecuador during the peace process that culminated in the Brasilia Presidential Act.
Ambassador of Ecuador to the United States
Her first posting in Washington.
Minister of Foreign Trade, Industry, Regional Integration, Fisheries & Competitiveness
Leading Ecuador's trade and industrial policy.
President, Andean Parliament
Presiding over the regional parliamentary institution and advancing dialogue across the Andean region.
Yasuní-ITT Initiative
The initiative ran from 2007 to 2013, seeking international support to keep oil underground and protect biodiversity. Her published professional record lists her role as chief negotiator.
Dates refer to the initiative, rather than her full personal tenure.
Professional record · initiative history
Ambassador of Ecuador to Qatar
With concurrent accreditation across the Middle East.
Ambassador of Ecuador to the United States
Her second posting in Washington.
Ambassador of Ecuador to France and Monaco
Representing Ecuador in France and Monaco.
Photo: LuciaPossoN · CC0
TWO HOMELANDS
I carry two homelands inside me, Lebanon and Ecuador. That is not a biography. It is a qualification for this moment.
Ambassador A‑Baki