Marisol Argueta de Barillas
Marisol Argueta de Barillas, is a Salvadoran lawyer and career Ambassador. Head of Latin America and Member of the Executive Committee at the World Economic Forum since March 2010.
She was Minister of Foreign Affairs of El Salvador, General Director of Foreign Policy of El Salvador, Minister Counsellor at the Embassy of El Salvador in Washington DC and Alternate Permanent Representative of El Salvador to the United Nations in NY.
She was the third woman to officially join the professional diplomatic service of El Salvador in 1993, after Ms. Tula Serra Morazan, who joined in 1950 and Ms. Maria Baires de Membreño, who joined in 1970. She led the Iberoamerican Summit on “Youth and Development”, in 2008; Chaired the International Conference on Financing for Development for Middle Income Countries in 2007 and led the Commemoration of the 15th Anniversary of the Salvadoran Peace Agreements, among many other international activities throughout a successful diplomatic career of more than twenty years.
Argueta de Barillas led El Salvador's Foreign Policy based on universal principles contained in international law and prioritized issues related to human rights, the rights of migrants and has Bernard an active advocate for woman’s rights. Since her early years as a diplomat representing El Salvador at the United Nations, she participated in the General Assembly’s Third Committee on Human Rights and Humanitarian Issues, in the Sixth Committee, on International Legal Issues and on Peacekeeping matters, having taken part in the diplomatic team that reported on the implementation of the Salvadoran Peace Agreements sponsored by the United Nations. She participated in several meetings of the United Nations Economic and Social Council and was part of the Salvadoran Delegation to the United Nations World Conference on Women, Beijing 1995. She led the Salvadoran Delegation reporting on the implementation of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child. She created a government-led effort for the effective implementation of the NACARA law that granted the opportunity to apply for permanent residence to more than 200,000 Salvadorans living lawfully in the United States and later, after two consecutive earthquakes severely hit El Salvador in 2001, she advocated for the Temporary Protection Status granted to Salvadorans living in the United States, relieving thousands of Salvadoran families from deportation.
She successfully advocated for the Italian Government’s recognition of the Salvadoran driver’s license as an identity document for Salvadorans living in Italy.
She led important technological transformations at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs during her tenure as Foreign Minister. She finalized the construction of the modern and sustainable infrastructure that houses the Foreign Ministry, inaugurated on April 24th 2009. She created a call center to provide complimentary consular assistance to Salvadorans living in the United States and Canada and created a childcare facility at the Foreign Ministry. Among other achievements, Argueta de Barillas created the office for the systemic management of international scholarships at the Foreign Ministry to publicize and promote the optimal use of education opportunities abroad.
Argueta de Barillas advanced Central America’s Integration, facilitating the incorporation of the Dominican Republic and Panama’s full participation in the Central American Integration System, and signed the Customs Union agreement with Guatemala, while also leading a reform process of Central American Integration Institutions such as the Central American Parliament and the Central American Court of Justice. Argueta de Barillas signed the bilateral treaty with the Government of the United States for the establishment in El Salvador of a U.S. anti-drug monitoring facility and actively supported the United States of America’s Pathways to Prosperity Initiative for Latin America. She strengthened relations with Europe, Asia and the Middle East, having promoted the creation of a course on the Holocaust in Salvadoran middle education to create awareness on the scourge of intolerance and racism, while also strengthening relations with the Arab world.
Her international experience promoting cooperation, trade relations and investments in El Salvador facilitated the development of her experience in the private sector, which includes positions as Vice-President of Inter-Publix and Director of GlobalPay Solutions.
As Head of Latin América at the World Economic Forum, since 2010, Argueta de Barillas has driven important transformations in the Latin American region through advancing public-private cooperation for sustainable and inclusive growth and developing innovative and actionable regional agendas derived from forward looking global thought, inspired by her mentor, the World Economic Forum’s Founder and Executive Chairman, Professor Klaus Schwab. Her efforts have addressed issues related to competitiveness, productivity, the ethical use of emerging technologies, Fourth Industrial Revolution, Advanced Manufacturing, Sustainability, the Circular Economy, Environmentalism and Climate Change, Governance and Transparency, Social Entrepreneurship, Stakeholders Capitalism and Inclusion, in particular, focusing on the economic advancement of women and the active participation of youth, among others.
She holds a JD from Universidad Dr Jose M. Delgado, El Salvador and a postgraduate degree in Diplomacy from the University of Oxford, UK. She has specialized studies in international law, international affairs, leadership, management and negotiations and conflict resolution from the International Peace Academy, Harvard University and The Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania.
She is recipient of national decorations, awards and special recognitions from the Governments of Mexico, Guatemala, Costa Rica, Panama, Colombia, Peru, Spain and the United States, as well as from Salvadoran communities and private institutions for her social work, for her work on international affairs, regional integration and for outstanding professional and academic achievements.
She is a Young Global Leader alumna by the World Economic Forum, Fellow of the Aspen Institute's Central American Leadership Initiative and member of the Oxford Union Society. She serves on the Advisory Board of the Latin America Programme at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars; on the Advisory Board of the Latin America Chapter of the United Nations Development Program and on the Global Council of the Center for the Implementation of Public Policies for Growth and Inclusion, Buenos Aires, Argentina and is also a Member of the Legal Oversight Board of the JM Delgado University and UWC Costa Rica.
She is married to Carlos Barillas and has three daughters: Alexia, Florence and Gabriela.