Lauro Baja

Who is Lauro Baja?

Lauro L. Baja, Jr. was the Permanent Representative to the United Nations for the Republic of the Philippines, and a former Undersecretary of Foreign Affairs. He presented his credentials to the Secretary-General of the United Nations on 21 May 2003, replacing former Ambassador Alfonso T. Yuchengco. He was replaced by former Chief Justice Hilario Davide in 2006.

He is a former president of the United Nations Security Council, where he took the chair for one month in 2004. He was also the Chair of the United Nations Committee for Parliamentarians for Global Action in 2004.

Ambassador Lauro Liboon Baja, Jr. was one of the most senior diplomats of the Philippines, with more than 40 years of diplomatic experience that includes a previous assignment in the United Nations. Born in Alangilan, Batangas, on 2 May 1937, Ambassador Baja studied in the Philippines and in England. He holds degrees in jurisprudence and law from the University of the Philippines in Manila. He also took a Foreign Service Course at the Oxford University.

Ambassador Baja began his career in the Department of Foreign Affairs in Manila in 1962 as Legal Officer of the Office of Legal Affairs and later as Legal Officer of the Office of Undersecretary for Administration. His foreign assignments include; Philippine Embassy in London where he served as Third Secretary and later Second Secretary from 1967 to 1972; Philippine Mission to the UN in New York from 1973 to 1976 he served as First Secretary and later as Career Minister; Philippine Embassy in Brasília as Philippine Ambassador to Brazil from 1986 to 1993; Philippine Embassy in Italy as Philippine Ambassador to Italy in 1997. In 1998, Ambassador Baja was appointed Senior Undersecretary for Foreign Affairs in charge of policy, the second highest position at the Department of Foreign Affairs.