Julie-Ann Guivarra (born in

Cairns Cairns (, ) is a city in Queensland, Australia, on the tropical north east coast of Far North Queensland. The population in June 2019 was 153,952, having grown on average 1.02% annually over the preceding five years. The city is the 5th-most-p ...

) is an Australian diplomat who was the first Indigenous person to serve as a senior executive in the Australian Foreign Ministry and the first Indigenous woman to represent

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...

as an ambassador, serving as Ambassador to Spain from 2018 to 2020 with non-resident accreditation to Andorra and

Equatorial Guinea Equatorial Guinea ( es, Guinea Ecuatorial; french: Guinée équatoriale; pt, Guiné Equatorial), officially the Republic of Equatorial Guinea ( es, link=no, República de Guinea Ecuatorial, french: link=no, République de Guinée équatoria ...

. In May 2020, she was appointed as Australia's Ambassador for Gender Equality.

Early life and education

Guivarra was born in

and is of both

Aboriginal Aborigine, aborigine or aboriginal may refer to: *Aborigines (mythology), in Roman mythology * Indigenous peoples, general term for ethnic groups who are the earliest known inhabitants of an area *One of several groups of indigenous peoples, see ...

and Torres Strait Islander heritage. Her great-grandfather was a Filipino

pearl diver Pearl hunting, also known as pearling, is the activity of recovering pearls from wild molluscs, usually oysters or mussels, in the sea or freshwater. Pearl hunting was prevalent in the Persian Gulf region and Japan for thousands of years. On the ...

who married a Torres Strait Islander. She was the first in her family to go to university, earning a bachelor's degree in Commerce at

James Cook University James Cook University (JCU) is a public university in North Queensland, Australia. The second oldest university in Queensland, JCU is a teaching and research institution. The university's main campuses are located in the tropical cities of Cairn ...

and a Master of Arts (Foreign Affairs and Trade) from Monash University.

Career

Guivarra began working for the

Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) is the department of the Australian federal government responsible for foreign policy and relations, international aid (using the branding Australian Aid), consular services and trade and inv ...

after finishing university in 1997. She held assistant secretary and director roles and served in Geneva as a counsellor at the World Trade Organization. She was posted to India and worked on trade policy in the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) negotiations. She also served as Assistant Secretary of the South East Asia Analytical and Effectiveness Branch. In 2018, Guivarra was appointed Australia's ambassador to Spain, Andorra, and

. She finished in the role in January 2020 and was replaced by

Sophia McIntyre Sophia McIntyre is an Australian diplomat who was appointed Ambassador to Spain in June 2020. McIntyre graduated from the University of Sydney with a Bachelor of Laws and a Bachelor of Arts. She completed a graduate diploma in foreign affairs ...

. In March 2020, on

International Women's Day International Women's Day (IWD) is a global holiday celebrated annually on March 8 as a focal point in the women's rights movement, bringing attention to issues such as gender equality, reproductive rights, and violence and abuse against wom ...

Foreign Affairs Minister In many countries, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs is the government department responsible for the state's diplomacy, bilateral, and multilateral relations affairs as well as for providing support for a country's citizens who are abroad. The entit ...

and Minister for Women Marise Payne announced the appointed of Guivarra as Ambassador for Gender Equality, the fourth person to hold the role after it was created in 2011. The purpose of the role is to ensure that gender equality and empowerment of women and girls is a "key focus of Australia’s diplomatic, development, and regional security efforts".

Publications

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References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Guivarra, Julie-Ann Australian women ambassadors Ambassadors of Australia to Andorra Ambassadors of Australia to Equatorial Guinea Ambassadors of Australia to Spain James Cook University alumni Monash University alumni Year of birth missing (living people) Living people