Heraldo Muñoz
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Heraldo Muñoz Valenzuela (born July 22, 1948) is a
Chile Chile, officially the Republic of Chile, is a country in western South America. It is the southernmost country in the world and the closest to Antarctica, stretching along a narrow strip of land between the Andes, Andes Mountains and the Paci ...
an
political scientist Political science is the scientific study of politics. It is a social science dealing with systems of governance and Power (social and political), power, and the analysis of political activities, political philosophy, political thought, polit ...
, academic, diplomat and politician; the former Minister of Foreign Affairs of Chile under President
Michelle Bachelet Verónica Michelle Bachelet Jeria (; born 29 September 1951) is a Chilean politician who served as President of Chile from 2006 to 2010 and again from 2014 to 2018, becoming the first woman to hold the presidency. She was re-elected in December ...
; former Assistant Secretary General, Assistant Administrator, and Regional Director for
Latin America and the Caribbean The term Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) is an English language, English-language acronym referring to the Latin American and the Caribbean region. The term LAC covers an extensive region, extending from The Bahamas and Mexico to Argentina ...
of the
United Nations Development Programme The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) is a United Nations agency tasked with helping countries eliminate poverty and achieve sustainable economic growth and human development. The UNDP emphasizes on developing local capacity towar ...
; and the former Chilean
Ambassador An ambassador is an official envoy, especially a high-ranking diplomat who represents a state and is usually accredited to another sovereign state or to an international organization as the resident representative of their own government or so ...
to the
United Nations The United Nations (UN) is the Earth, global intergovernmental organization established by the signing of the Charter of the United Nations, UN Charter on 26 June 1945 with the stated purpose of maintaining international peace and internationa ...
, to
Brazil Brazil, officially the Federative Republic of Brazil, is the largest country in South America. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by area, fifth-largest country by area and the List of countries and dependencies by population ...
, and to the
Organization of American States The Organization of American States (OAS or OEA; ; ; ) is an international organization founded on 30 April 1948 to promote cooperation among its member states within the Americas. Headquartered in Washington, D.C., United States, the OAS is ...
.


Early life and career

Heraldo Muñoz was born in
Santiago Santiago (, ; ), also known as Santiago de Chile (), is the capital and largest city of Chile and one of the largest cities in the Americas. It is located in the country's central valley and is the center of the Santiago Metropolitan Regi ...
on July 22, 1948. After graduating from ''Liceo de Aplicación'', an all-boys public high school, he attended the
University of Chile The University of Chile () is a public university, public research university in Santiago, Chile. It was founded on November 19, 1842, and inaugurated on September 17, 1843.
where he studied English. After the first year, he left to major in political science at the State University of New York (SUNY), Oswego, thanks to a scholarship from the
Institute of International Education The Institute of International Education (IIE) is an American 501(c) non-profit organization that focuses on international student exchange and aid, foreign affairs, and international peace and security. IIE creates programs of study and training ...
. After gaining his B.A. at SUNY, he obtained a Diploma in international relations from the Catholic University of Chile (1975, graduated with honors), followed by a Masters (M.A.) and a Doctorate (Ph.D.) in international relations from the Josef Korbel School of International Studies at the
University of Denver The University of Denver (DU) is a private research university in Denver, Colorado, United States. Founded in 1864, it has an enrollment of approximately 5,700 undergraduate students and 7,200 graduate students. It is classified among "R1: D ...
, Colorado (1978). He was a doctoral fellow at the
Brookings Institution The Brookings Institution, often stylized as Brookings, is an American think tank that conducts research and education in the social sciences, primarily in economics (and tax policy), metropolitan policy, governance, foreign policy, global econo ...
, Washington, D.C. (1977), where he wrote his Ph.D. dissertation. He received fellowships from
Resources for the Future Resources for the Future (RFF) is an American nonprofit organization, founded in 1952, that conducts independent research into environmental, energy, and natural resource issues, primarily via economics and other social sciences. Headquartered in ...
, the
Ford Foundation The Ford Foundation is an American private foundation with the stated goal of advancing human welfare. Created in 1936 by Edsel Ford and his father Henry Ford, it was originally funded by a $25,000 (about $550,000 in 2023) gift from Edsel Ford. ...
, the Tinker Foundation, the
Twentieth Century Fund The Century Foundation (established first as The Cooperative League and then the Twentieth Century Fund) is a progressive think tank headquartered in New York City with an office in Washington, D.C. It was founded as a nonprofit public policy re ...
, and the
MacArthur Foundation The John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation is a private foundation that makes grants and impact investments to support non-profit organizations in approximately 117 countries around the world. It has an endowment of $7.6 billion and ...
. Upon completion of his doctorate, Muñoz went back to Chile and returned to work as an academic at the
University of Chile The University of Chile () is a public university, public research university in Santiago, Chile. It was founded on November 19, 1842, and inaugurated on September 17, 1843.
's Institute of International Studies, having started there as professor in 1974. He taught, researched and published extensively in the field of international relations in this period; and also founded and directed the ''Program on Latin American Foreign Policies'' (PROSPEL), a foreign policy research institute which published annual reports on the foreign policies of Latin American governments (1984-1990). In 1987, he co-founded Chile's Party for Democracy (PPD), and participated in the Executive Committee of the "No" Campaign which defeated
Augusto Pinochet Augusto José Ramón Pinochet Ugarte (25 November 1915 – 10 December 2006) was a Chilean military officer and politician who was the dictator of Military dictatorship of Chile, Chile from 1973 to 1990. From 1973 to 1981, he was the leader ...
in the 1988 plebiscite. Prior to that, he was a member of Chile's Socialist Party (1983-1986), and served as secretary of foreign relations and member of its central committee; he also ran as candidate for undersecretary general on a list headed by
Ricardo Lagos Ricardo Froilán Lagos Escobar (; born 2 March 1938) is a Chilean lawyer, economist and social-democratic politician who served as president of Chile from 2000 to 2006. During the 1980s he was a well-known opponent of the Chilean military di ...
.


Diplomatic career

Once democracy returned to Chile, Muñoz was named Ambassador Permanent Representative for Chile to the
Organization of American States The Organization of American States (OAS or OEA; ; ; ) is an international organization founded on 30 April 1948 to promote cooperation among its member states within the Americas. Headquartered in Washington, D.C., United States, the OAS is ...
by President
Patricio Aylwin Patricio Aylwin Azócar (; 26 November 1918 – 19 April 2016) was a Chilean politician from the Christian Democratic Party of Chile, Christian Democratic Party, lawyer, author, professor and former senator. He was the 30th president of Chil ...
(1990-1994); during his mission, he sat on the Executive Committee of the Global Environmental Partnership with U.S. Senator
Al Gore Albert Arnold Gore Jr. (born March 31, 1948) is an American former politician, businessman, and environmentalist who served as the 45th vice president of the United States from 1993 to 2001 under President Bill Clinton. He previously served as ...
. During the administration of
Eduardo Frei Ruiz-Tagle Eduardo Alfredo Juan Bernardo Frei Ruiz–Tagle (; born 24 June 1942) is a Chilean politician and civil engineering, civil engineer who served as president of Chile from 1994 to 2000. He was also a Senate of Chile, Senator, fulfilling the role of ...
, Muñoz served as Ambassador to Brazil (1994-1998); during this mission, he participated in negotiations to end hostilities between Peru and Ecuador. President
Ricardo Lagos Ricardo Froilán Lagos Escobar (; born 2 March 1938) is a Chilean lawyer, economist and social-democratic politician who served as president of Chile from 2000 to 2006. During the 1980s he was a well-known opponent of the Chilean military di ...
appointed Muñoz as Deputy Minister of Foreign Relations (March 2000); and in January 2002, as Minister Secretary General of Government. In 2003, Lagos named him Chile's Ambassador Permanent Representative to the
United Nations The United Nations (UN) is the Earth, global intergovernmental organization established by the signing of the Charter of the United Nations, UN Charter on 26 June 1945 with the stated purpose of maintaining international peace and internationa ...
.


United Nations career

When Muñoz became ambassador to the UN, Chile was a non-permanent member of the
Security Council The United Nations Security Council (UNSC) is one of the six principal organs of the United Nations (UN) and is charged with ensuring international peace and security, recommending the admission of new UN members to the General Assembly, an ...
(2003-2004); hence, Muñoz served as Security Council President (January 2004), a position that is rotated monthly. While on the Council, Muñoz also presided the Al-Qaida/Taliban Sanctions Committee, traveling to countries like Afghanistan, Cambodia, Indonesia, and Iran, in line with Security Council resolutions, to supervise the implementation of arms embargoes, asset freezes, and travel bans of those groups. In 2008, the ''New York Times'' featured his life and work in ''The Saturday Profile''. In February 2009, Secretary-General
Ban Ki-moon Ban Ki-moon (born 13 June 1944) is a South Korean politician and diplomat who served as the eighth secretary-general of the United Nations between 2007 and 2016. Prior to his appointment as secretary-general, Ban was the South Korean minister ...
appointed him as head of a UN Commission of Inquiry to investigate the assassination of former Prime Minister of Pakistan Benazir Bhutto, in response to a request made by Pakistani President
Asif Ali Zardari Asif Ali Zardari (born 26 July 1955) is a Pakistani politician serving as the 14th president of Pakistan since 2024, having held the same office from 2008 to 2013. He is the president of Pakistan People's Party Parliamentarians and was the ...
. The report of the findings of the Commission, delivered in April 2010, resulted in the reopening of the case in the courts of Pakistan and the subsequent arrests of several high level individuals. Other positions Muñoz held while Ambassador to the UN were: chairman of the
Peacebuilding Commission The United Nations Peacebuilding Commission (PBC) is a United Nations intergovernmental organization, intergovernmental advisory body of both the United Nations General Assembly, General Assembly and the United Nations Security Council, Security C ...
; facilitator of the
Security Council The United Nations Security Council (UNSC) is one of the six principal organs of the United Nations (UN) and is charged with ensuring international peace and security, recommending the admission of new UN members to the General Assembly, an ...
reform consultations (2007-2008); Vice President of the
General Assembly A general assembly or general meeting is a meeting of all the members of an organization or shareholders of a company. Specific examples of general assembly include: Churches * General Assembly (presbyterian church), the highest court of presby ...
's 61st Session (2006-2007); and member of the
Human Rights Commission A human rights commission, also known as a human relations commission, is a body set up to investigate, promote or protect human rights. The term may refer to international, national or subnational bodies set up for this purpose, such as nationa ...
reform consultations (today known as the
Human Rights Council The United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) is a United Nations body whose mission is to promote and protect human rights around the world. The Council has 47 members elected for staggered three-year terms on a regional group basis. The ...
). As Chairman of the Peacebuilding Commission, in 2009 he obtained a donation of the funds collected through author's rights from a new digital version of
John Lennon John Winston Ono Lennon (born John Winston Lennon; 9 October 19408 December 1980) was an English singer-songwriter, musician and activist. He gained global fame as the founder, co-lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist of the Beatles. Lennon's ...
's song, "
Give Peace a Chance "Give Peace a Chance" is an anti-war song written by John Lennon (originally credited to Lennon–McCartney), and recorded with the participation of a small group of friends in a performance with Yoko Ono in a hotel room in Montreal, Quebec, C ...
" by his widow, artist
Yoko Ono Yoko Ono (, usually spelled in katakana as ; born February 18, 1933) is a Japanese multimedia artist, singer, songwriter, and peace activist. Her work also encompasses performance art and filmmaking. Ono grew up in Tokyo and moved to New York ...
. Muñoz and Ono also collaborated in an initiative for
Autism Speaks Autism Speaks Inc. is an American non-profit autism awareness organization and the largest autism research organization in the United States. It sponsors autism research and conducts awareness and outreach activities aimed at families, governm ...
: Ono donated a work of art for an auction to benefit the efforts of that organization on the occasion of the United Nations Autism Awareness Day, an event that was sponsored by the Mission of Chile to the UN in 2009. In May 2010, Muñoz was appointed by UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon as Assistant Secretary General, Assistant Administrator, and Regional Director for Latin America and the Caribbean of the
United Nations Development Programme The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) is a United Nations agency tasked with helping countries eliminate poverty and achieve sustainable economic growth and human development. The UNDP emphasizes on developing local capacity towar ...
.


Ministry of Foreign Affairs

President Michelle Bachelet named him Minister of Foreign Affairs of Chile in 2014. As such, he led Chile in its response to a case presented by
Bolivia Bolivia, officially the Plurinational State of Bolivia, is a landlocked country located in central South America. The country features diverse geography, including vast Amazonian plains, tropical lowlands, mountains, the Gran Chaco Province, w ...
at the
International Court of Justice The International Court of Justice (ICJ; , CIJ), or colloquially the World Court, is the only international court that Adjudication, adjudicates general disputes between nations, and gives advisory opinions on International law, internation ...
, intended to force Chile to negotiate a sovereign access to the Pacific Ocean] for Bolivia (see '' Obligation to Negotiate Access to the Pacific Ocean, Bolivia v. Chile''). Chile won the case by an overwhelming majority of the Court. Likewise during Muñoz's tenure, the Foreign Ministry elaborated a ''National Action Plan for Human Rights and Business'', which was presented to President Bachelet in 2017. Also that year, Venezuela's political opposition to the government of
Nicolás Maduro Nicolás Maduro Moros (; born 23 November 1962) is a Venezuelan politician and former union leader serving as the 53rd president of Venezuela since 2013. Previously, he was the 24th Vice President of Venezuela, vice president from 2012 to 20 ...
requested that Muñoz represent them, along with Foreign Minister of Mexico
Luis Videgaray Caso Luis Videgaray Caso (born 10 August 1968) is a Mexican politician who served as the Secretary of Foreign Affairs from 2017 to 2018. Previously he was the Secretary of Finance and Public Credit, also in the cabinet of Enrique Peña Nieto, from 2 ...
, in negotiations held in the
Dominican Republic The Dominican Republic is a country located on the island of Hispaniola in the Greater Antilles of the Caribbean Sea in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean. It shares a Maritime boundary, maritime border with Puerto Rico to the east and ...
, to set conditions for the then upcoming presidential elections: these efforts were eventually unsuccessful due to the intransigence of Venezuelan authorities and disagreements within the opposition. Furthermore, by invitation from the then US Secretary of State
John Kerry John Forbes Kerry (born December 11, 1943) is an American attorney, politician, and diplomat who served as the 68th United States secretary of state from 2013 to 2017 in the Presidency of Barack Obama#Administration, administration of Barac ...
, Muñoz joined an international campaign to protect the ocean. As a result of this involvement, Chile turned 1.4 million square kilometers of its waters into marine protected areas, becoming a world leader in ocean protection. Muñoz also achieved -after many failed attempts by previous governments- congressional approval of the bill for the modernization of the Foreign Ministry; the bill was promulgated by President Bachelet on March 7, 2018. Muñoz also led the elaboration of an agenda for Chile's foreign policy of the future entitled ''Política Exterior 2030''. Finally, Muñoz created and promoted the concept of "convergence in diversity" between the two integration mechanisms for the region, the
Pacific Alliance The Pacific Alliance () is a Latin American trade bloc, formed by Chile, Colombia, Mexico and Peru, which all border the Pacific Ocean. The alliance was formed with the express purpose of improving regional integration and moving toward complet ...
and
Mercosur The Southern Common Market (commonly known by abbreviation ''Mercosur'' in Spanish and ''Mercosul'' in Portuguese) is a South American trade bloc established by the Treaty of Asunción in 1991 and Protocol of Ouro Preto in 1994. Its full me ...
.


Career after office

In 2018 the Pew Charitable Foundation and the Bertarelli Foundation named Muñoz ''Ambassador of the Ocean''. In 2018, Muñoz was elected President of the Party for Democracy (PPD). His term ended in August 2021. In September 2019 Muñoz was named Director of the Prince Albert II of Monaco Foundation. Muñoz planned to run in the 2021 Chilean presidential election, but ended up dropping out in May 2021.


Books and publications

* ''A Solitary War: A Diplomat's Chronicle of the Iraq War and Its Lessons'', Fulcrum Publishing, 2008 (it has been translated into Spanish). * ''The Dictator's Shadow: Life Under Augusto Pinochet'', Basic Books, 2008 (it has been translated into Spanish and Portuguese). ''
Newsweek ''Newsweek'' is an American weekly news magazine based in New York City. Founded as a weekly print magazine in 1933, it was widely distributed during the 20th century and has had many notable editors-in-chief. It is currently co-owned by Dev P ...
'' said about it: Muñoz wrote "an insightful and poignant new personal memoir of the Pinochet years." The ''
Washington Post ''The Washington Post'', locally known as ''The'' ''Post'' and, informally, ''WaPo'' or ''WP'', is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C., the national capital. It is the most widely circulated newspaper in the Washington m ...
'' called it "a meticulous and vivid new book... Muñoz delivers a compelling, personal account of life in a police state and a strong reminder of how far Chile has come": and the paper also listed ''The Dictator's Shadow'' among the best books of 2008. In 2009,
Duke University Duke University is a Private university, private research university in Durham, North Carolina, United States. Founded by Methodists and Quakers in the present-day city of Trinity, North Carolina, Trinity in 1838, the school moved to Durham in 1 ...
presented him with the WOLA-Duke award for the best non-fiction book on the subjects of human rights, democracy, and social justice. * ''Getting Away with Murder: Benazir Bhutto's Assassination and the Politics of Pakistan'', W.W. Norton & Company, 2013, a book based on the aforementioned UN investigation over which Muñoz presided. Other books written or edited by Muñoz are: * ''Democracy Rising: Assessing the Global Challenges'' (Heraldo Muñoz, editor; Lynn Rienner Publishers, 2006) * ''Globalización XXI: América Latina y los desafíos del nuevo milenio'' (Heraldo Muñoz, editor; Aguilar, 2000) * ''A Nova Política Internacional'' (Heraldo Muñoz; Fundaçao Alexandre de Gusmao, 1996) * ''Latin American Nations in World Politics'' (Heraldo Muñoz and Joseph Tulchin, editors; Westview Press, 1996) * ''Política Internacional de los Nuevos Tiempos'' (Heraldo Muñoz; Editorial Los Andes, 1996) * ''The Future of the Organization of American States'' (Heraldo Muñoz and Viron L. Vaky; The Twentieth Century Fund Press, 1993) * ''Difficult Liaison: Trade and the Environment in the Americas'' (Heraldo Muñoz and Robin Rosenberg, editors; Transaction Publishers, 1993) * ''El Fin del Fantasma: Las relaciones interamericanas después de la guerra fría'' (Heraldo Muñoz, editor; Ediciones Pedagógicas Chilenas S.A., 1992) * ''Environment and Diplomacy in the Americas'' (Heraldo Muñoz, editor; Lynn Reinner Publishers, 1992) * ''Chile: Política Exterior para la Democracia'' (Heraldo Muñoz, editor; Pehuén, 1989) * ''Una Amistad Esquiva'' (Heraldo Muñoz y Carlos Portales; Pehuén, 1987) * ''Latin American Views of US Policy'' (Robert Wesson and Heraldo Muñoz, editors; Praeger, 1986) * ''Las Relaciones Exteriores del Gobierno Militar Chileno'' (Heraldo Muñoz; Las Ediciones del Ornitorrinco y Prospel-CERC, 1986) * ''Crisis y Desarrollo Alternativo en Latinoamérica'' (Heraldo Muñoz, editor; Editorial Aconcagua, 1985) * ''From Dependency to Development: Strategies to Overcome Underdevelopment and Inequality'' (Heraldo Muñoz, editor; Westview Press, 1981) * ''Desarrollo energético en América Latina y la economía mundial'' (Heraldo Muñoz, editor; Editorial Universitaria, 1980)
Duke University Duke University is a Private university, private research university in Durham, North Carolina, United States. Founded by Methodists and Quakers in the present-day city of Trinity, North Carolina, Trinity in 1838, the school moved to Durham in 1 ...
holds in the Rubenstein Library a collection of many of the documents of Heraldo Muñoz, ''A guide to the Heraldo Muñoz Papers, 1963-2013 and undated''. Honors and Awards * ''Distinguished Alumnus Award,'' Josef Korbel School of International Studies,
University of Denver The University of Denver (DU) is a private research university in Denver, Colorado, United States. Founded in 1864, it has an enrollment of approximately 5,700 undergraduate students and 7,200 graduate students. It is classified among "R1: D ...
(1991) * ''Distinguished Alumnus Award'',
State University of New York The State University of New York (SUNY ) is a system of Public education, public colleges and universities in the New York (state), State of New York. It is one of the List of largest universities and university networks by enrollment, larges ...
(1994) * ''Doctor of Humane Letters'',
State University of New York The State University of New York (SUNY ) is a system of Public education, public colleges and universities in the New York (state), State of New York. It is one of the List of largest universities and university networks by enrollment, larges ...
(1995) * ''Doctor of the University'',
University of Ottawa The University of Ottawa (), often referred to as uOttawa or U of O, is a Official bilingualism in Canada, bilingual public research university in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. The main campus is located on directly to the northeast of Downtown Ot ...
, Canada (2009) * ''Doctor of Humane Letters'',
Pace University Pace University is a private university with campuses in New York City and Westchester County, New York, United States. It was established in 1906 as a business school by the brothers Homer St. Clair Pace and Charles A. Pace. Pace enrolls about ...
(2009) * Grand Cross Isabel la Católica (2014)


Notes


See also

*
List of foreign ministers in 2017 This is a list of foreign ministers in 2017. Africa * *#Ramtane Lamamra (2013–2017) *#Abdelkader Messahel (2017–2019) * - *#Georges Rebelo Chicoti (2010–2017) *#Manuel Domingos Augusto (2017–2020) * - Aurélien Agbénonci (2016–2023) ...
*
List of current foreign ministers This is a list of current foreign ministers of the 193 United Nations member states as well as the Holy See (Vatican City) and the State of Palestine. Foreign ministers of sovereign countries with limited recognition, some alternative governmen ...


References


United Nations biographyopenDemocracy article and interviewAssessment of the President of the Security Council for the month of January 2004 (Muñoz's term)


External links

*
Heraldo Munoz Papers at Duke University
{{DEFAULTSORT:Munoz, Heraldo Living people 1948 births Chilean democracy activists Josef Korbel School of International Studies people Pontifical Catholic University of Chile alumni Chilean Ministers Secretary General of Government Permanent representatives of Chile to the United Nations Politicians from Santiago, Chile State University of New York at Oswego alumni Permanent representatives of Chile to the Organization of American States Socialist Party of Chile politicians Party for Democracy (Chile) politicians Ambassadors of Chile to Brazil Chilean people of Spanish descent International relations scholars Foreign ministers of Chile