Ambassador Luis Gallegos

Chairman, G3ict

Luis Gallegos Chiriboga is an Ecuadorian diplomat. He is the former Minister of Foreign Affairs and Human Mobility of the Republic of Ecuador. He previously served as Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary, and Permanent Representative of Ecuador to the United Nations in New York.

He is currently a Member of the BOT of UNITAR, United Nations Institute for Training and Research, appointed by the UN Secretary-General as of 1 July 2019. He is the Chairman of the Global Initiative for Inclusive ICTs (G3ict). In addition is a Board Member of the Special Olympics.

Ambassador Gallegos was unanimously elected by his peers to serve as Vice President and Rapporteur of the United Nations Human Rights Council for 2013. The Congress of Ecuador has honored him twice for his work in human rights and for his leadership in the promotion and protection of human rights of persons with disabilities. Ambassador Gallegos is also a recipient of the Justice for All Disabilities Rights Award.

Prior to his appointment to the United Nations, Gallegos served as Ecuador's Ambassador to the United States from 2005 to 2011.

Over the course of his career, Gallegos served as Ecuador's Head of Mission to Bulgaria from 1985 to 1989; Ambassador to El Salvador from 1994 to 1997; Permanent Representative to the United Nations in Geneva three times; Permanent Representative to the United Nations in New York three times as well, and Ambassador to Australia, among other positions held.

He has been Vice-President of the Commission of Human Rights, Geneva, 1998; Vice-President of the Assembly of the Member States of WIPO, Geneva, 1997-99; Representative of GRULAC to the Diplomatic Committee; President of the II Main Commission of the Diplomatic Conference for the Adoption of a New Act of Adjustment of Netherlands, WIPO, Geneva, 1999; Vice-President of the Programmatic Forum of the IDNDR, Geneva, 1999; and Vice-President of the Meeting of G-77, Morocco, 1999. He has also been Vice-President of the 57th Session of the UN General Assembly; Facilitator for the “Revitalization of the Work of the General Assembly”, 2002; Facilitator for the “Strengthening of the United Nations”, 2002; Vice-President of the Executive Board of UNICEF, 2003; and Vice-President of the Open-Ended Working Group on Security Council Reform, 2004.

He has been President of the Political Committee of the Non Aligned Movement twice. He was the Chairman of the Ad-Hoc Committee on a Comprehensive and Integral International Convention to Promote and Protect the Rights and Dignity of Persons with Disabilities from 2002-2005. He is an expert member of the UN Committee against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment.

Among his honorary decorations are Bulgaria, 1989; France, 1990; Brazil, 1991; El Salvador, 1997; Guatemala, 1999; Spain, 2001; Guatemala, 2002; Brazil, 2002; and Peru, 2002. He received the National Order of Merit of Ecuador in 2002, and the Honorato Vasquez Order in 2007. He has also received proclamations from the City Council of New York, the State Senate of New York, and the House of Representatives of New York.