Alejandro Guillermo Ferrer López (born February 1, 1967, in

Panama City Panama City ( es, Ciudad de Panamá, links=no; ), also known as Panama (or Panamá in Spanish), is the capital and largest city of Panama. It has an urban population of 880,691, with over 1.5 million in its metropolitan area. The city is locat ...

Panama Panama ( , ; es, link=no, Panamá ), officially the Republic of Panama ( es, República de Panamá), is a transcontinental country spanning the southern part of North America and the northern part of South America. It is bordered by Cos ...

) is a Panamanian politician and lawyer. He was Vice Chancellor of Panama, Minister of Commerce and Industry and served as Minister of Foreign Affairs of Panama from July 1, 2019, to December 2, 2020.

Biography

He was born in

on February 1, 1967, son of Enna López de Ferrer and Alejandro Ferrer Stanziola. He is married to Irene Arias Galindo and has 2 daughters. Ferrer graduated from Colegio La Salle and continued his university studies at the

Universidad Católica Santa María La Antigua Santa María La Antigua Catholic University ( es, Universidad Católica Santa María La Antigua, USMA) is a private university in Panama City, Panama. It was established in 1965 as the first private university in Panama. As of 2021, it had 5,879 ...

, where in 1990 he graduated with a degree in law and

political science Political science is the scientific study of politics. It is a social science dealing with systems of governance and power, and the analysis of political activities, political thought, political behavior, and associated constitutions and la ...

summa cum laude Latin honors are a system of Latin phrases used in some colleges and universities to indicate the level of distinction with which an academic degree has been earned. The system is primarily used in the United States. It is also used in some Sou ...

. In 1992 he obtained a

Master in Law Master or masters may refer to: Ranks or titles * Ascended master, a term used in the Theosophical religious tradition to refer to spiritually enlightened beings who in past incarnations were ordinary humans * Grandmaster (chess), National Maste ...

and in 2000, a doctorate in law science from the

University of Michigan , mottoeng = "Arts, Knowledge, Truth" , former_names = Catholepistemiad, or University of Michigania (1817–1821) , budget = $10.3 billion (2021) , endowment = $17 billion (2021)As o ...

, as a

Fulbright Scholar The Fulbright Program, including the Fulbright–Hays Program, is one of several United States Cultural Exchange Programs with the goal of improving intercultural relations, cultural diplomacy, and intercultural competence between the people of ...

. He also participated in a course on global leadership and public policies for the 21st century at

Harvard University Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636 as Harvard College and named for its first benefactor, the Puritan clergyman John Harvard, it is the oldest institution of higher le ...

. In 2008, Ferrer received the title of Global Young Leader of the

World Economic Forum The World Economic Forum (WEF) is an international non-governmental and lobbying organisation based in Cologny, canton of Geneva, Switzerland. It was founded on 24 January 1971 by German engineer and economist Klaus Schwab. The foundation, ...

and the Integrity Award, Government Ethics category, from the Panamanian chapter of Transparency International. During his tenure, he was recognized along with the Electoral Tribunal as the entities with the greatest transparency in the obligation to inform by the Pro-Justice Citizen Alliance. He was president of the Amador Foundation (Museum of Biodiversity) from 2006 to 2013.

Political career

In 1993 he acted as legal advisor to the Adhesion Commission of Panama before the GATT and until 1994, he became Deputy Permanent Representative before that body. Between 1998 and 1999 he was a member of the Presidential Commission against Money Laundering, and in the periods 1996–1999 and 2008–2009, he was a member of the Council of Foreign Relations. Between 1994 and 1995 he served as permanent ambassador to the

World Trade Organization The World Trade Organization (WTO) is an intergovernmental organization that regulates and facilitates international trade. With effective cooperation in the United Nations System, governments use the organization to establish, revise, and e ...

in Geneva,

Switzerland ). Swiss law does not designate a ''capital'' as such, but the federal parliament and government are installed in Bern, while other federal institutions, such as the federal courts, are in other cities (Bellinzona, Lausanne, Luzern, Neuchâtel ...

and Alternate Ambassador to the United Nations and other international organizations. Between 1995 and 1996, he was Foreign Trade Advisor at the Embassy of Panama in Washington. Between 1996 and 1997 he was Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs.

Minister of Commerce and Industries

He was Minister of Commerce and Industries from 2004 to 2008, appointed by the then president

Martín Torrijos Espino Martin may refer to: Places * Martin City (disambiguation) * Martin County (disambiguation) * Martin Township (disambiguation) Antarctica * Martin Peninsula, Marie Byrd Land * Port Martin, Adelie Land * Point Martin, South Orkney Islands Aust ...

. During his tenure as minister, he managed, through appropriate promotion policies, that Panama will exceed for the first time the billion in exports, for several years. It also promoted the Multinational Offices Act, which has attracted more than 150 world-renowned companies to the country, generating thousands of jobs.

Minister of Foreign Affairs

On May 22, 2019, he was appointed Minister of Foreign Affairs of Panama by President-elect Laurentino Cortizo Cohen.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ferrer López, Alejandro Harvard University alumni University of Michigan Law School alumni 20th-century Panamanian lawyers Foreign Ministers of Panama 1967 births Living people People from Panama City 21st-century Panamanian lawyers