Ambassador Carlos Portales, former Director-General for Foreign Policy, was until March this year the Ministry of Foreign Affairs' third ranking official. Appointed by President Lagos in 2002, he was confirmed by President Bachelet in 2006. As Director-General, he oversaw Chile's foreign policy both bilaterally and multilaterally. He previously had held the same position from 1990 until 1994. Prior to his assignment at the Foreign Policy Division, Ambassador Portales was Director for Planning at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (2001-2002) and Principal of the Chilean Diplomatic Academy "Andrés Bello" (2000-2001). His ambassadorial postings abroad have been in Mexico (1994-1997) and the Organization of American States (OAS) in Washington, DC, USA (1997-2000).

As Ambassador of Chile to Mexico, he also represented Chile to the Agency for the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons in Latin America and the Caribbean (OPANAL) and the Inter-American Indigenous Institute (III). During his tenure as Permanent Representative of Chile to the OAS, he chaired the organization's Permanent Council's Committee on Hemispheric Security (1998-1999), as well as the Special Committee on Inter-American Summits Management (1998-2000). Furthermore from 1997 to 2000, he served as Non-Resident Ambassador to Dominica, Grenade, Saint Lucia and Saint Kitts and Nevis. He acted twice as Chilean coordinator of the Summit of the Americas Implementation Review Group (SIRG) in 1998-2000 and again in 2002-2007.

During his first term as Director General for Foreign Policy (1990-1994), he held the position of Chile's Coordinator for the Rio Group (1991-1994). He also held the position of Coordinator for the Ibero-American Summit (1991-1994) and (1998-2007) being responsible for the organization of the XVII Summit in Chile on November 2007. In the past seventeen years, he has served in many Chile's delegations to the UN General Assembly and the General Assembly of the OAS.

Born on December 9, 1948, and raised in Santiago-Chile. He graduated in 1971 (magna cum laude) from the University of Chile with a degree in Law and Social Studies. In 1977 he received a Master's degree (with distinction) from Stanford University, California in Political Science.

In the field of International Relations, Ambassador Portales was a Guest Professor at the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill (1987-1988). He has lectured at the Latin-American Faculty of Social Science (FLACSO) and the University of Chile -Institute of International Studies. In the past decades, he has authored, co-authored and edited several books in the field of Political Science and International Relations in Chile and abroad, among others: "State and Armed Forces" (with Hugo Frühling and Augusto Varas) FLACSO, Santiago, Chile, 1982; "Latin America in the New International Economic Order" Economic Culture Fund, Mexico, 1983; co-edited "Global Militarization", with Johan Galtung and Peter Wallenstreen, Westview Press, Boulder, Colorado, 1984; "Elusive Friendship: Relations between the United States and Chile" (with Heraldo Muñoz), Editorial Pehuén, Santiago, Chile, 1988; and edited "The World in Transition and Latin America" Latin American Editorial Group - (GEL), Buenos Aires, Argentina, 1989. He has published articles in magazines such as "Civilización Brasileña", "Current Research on Peace and Violence", "Cono Sur", "Alternativas", "Cuadernos Semestrales Estados Unidos: Perspectiva Latinoamericana", "Estudios Internacionales" and "Diplomacia".

Ambassador Portales was member of the board of the Fundación Chilena del Pacífico (2002-2008) and of the Fullbright Commission (2002-2006).

He has been decorated by the Governments of Argentina, Austria, Brazil, Ecuador, France, the Holy See, Italy, the Order of Malta, Morocco, Mexico, Peru, Portugal, Spain and Venezuela.

Married to Verónica Undurraga, they have two children: Sofia and Carlos.

 

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