AMBASSADOR LAURO LIBOON BAJA JR. is one of the most senior and respected diplomats of the
Philippines, with more than 40 years of diplomatic experience.
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. He is a member of the Philippine bar.
Ambassador Baja began his career in the Department of Foreign Affairs in Manila in 1962 as Legal Officer of
the Office of Legal Affairs (OLA) and later became the Chief of the Treaties Division of the OLA.
His first foreign assignment was in London where he served as Third Secretary and later Second Secretary
at the Philippine Embassy from 1967 to 1972. He then served as First Secretary and later as Career
Minister at the Philippine Mission to the UN in New York from 1972 to 1976.
Upon his return to the Philippines, Ambassador Baja served as Executive Director of the Office of United
Nations and Other International Organizations (UNIO) from 1977 to 1979 and Chief Coordinator and Special
Assistant to the Secretary of Foreign Affairs from 1980 to 1985.
In 1986, President Corazon Aquino named him Philippine Ambassador to Brazil. He served at the Philippine
Embassy in Brasilia from 1986 to 1993. At the end of his term, he was awarded the Ordem de Gran Cruz de
Rio Branco (Order of the Grand Cross of Rio Branco) by the Brazilian Government.
Ambassador Baja returned to Manila in 1993 and was named Assistant Secretary for Asian and Pacific
Affairs (ASPAC)—a position he held until 1997 when President Fidel Ramos named him Philippine
Ambassador to Italy. In Rome, he received another decoration—the Ufficiale nell Ordine’ Al Merito Republica
Italiana (Official Order of Merit) from the Italian government.
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.
Ambassador Baja’s many accomplishments during his term as Senior Undersecretary include the Manila
Declaration which established the ASEAN plus three with China, Japan and South Korea.; the ASEAN
Declaration Against Terrorism; the Trilateral Agreement among the Philippines, Indonesia and Malaysia on
the Exchange of Information and Establishment of Communications Procedure to Combat Terrorism; and
the 2002 Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea.
Ambassador Baja is also credited with initiating and establishing Foreign Ministry Consultations with
Portugal, Spain, France, Switzerland, Poland, Hungary, Romania, Pakistan, Egypt and Iran.
He also represented the Philippines in various meetings and conferences of the United Nations and other
international and regional organizations as head or member of the Philippine delegation.
In 2003, in recognition of his accomplishments, President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo conferred on
Ambassador Baja the Order of Sikatuna with the rank of Datu, the highest award a member of the Philippine
Foreign Service could receive. In 1999, he received the Gawad Mabini Award with the rank of Dakilang
Kamanong, the highest award by the Department of Foreign Affairs from President Joseph Estrada.
In 2004, Ambassador Baja received the Carlos P. Romulo United Nations Award from the United Nations
Association of the Philippines “outstanding performance and contribution to nation-building which
resembles the life of General Carlos P. Romulo as a diplomat.”
He also received the “Dangal ng Batangan” award as the most outstanding son of Batangas in 2004. He
was also named “Outstanding Alphan for 2003” by his University of the Philippines College of Law fraternity,
the Alpha Phi Beta. He was the outstanding alumnus of Batangas High School class 1954, which
celebrated their golden anniversary last year.
Because of his vast diplomatic experience, Ambassador Baja was chosen by President Arroyo to represent
the Philippines in the UN and oversee Manila’s participation as a non-permanent member of the Security
Council.
Shortly after he assumed his post as Permanent Representative, Ambassador Baja was elected chairman
of the Sixth (Legal) Committee of the 58th UN General Assembly, one of the main committees of the
Assembly.
Ambassador Baja engineered the election of the Philippines to the Security Council with a massive vote of
179 out of 181 members of the United Nations present and voting.
In June 2004 he presided over the Security Council and shepherded the unanimous adoption of the
landmark Security Council resolution 1546, which established the political process in Iraq.
He received unanimous recognition of the Secretary General and members of the Security Council for his
“outstanding efforts in bringing back unity in the Council and returning the United Nations to the center of
multilateral diplomacy”. In September 2005, he again presided over the Security Council and organized the
Security Council Summit in which President Gloria Macapagal- Arroyo became the first woman leader to do
so.
He chaired the 751 Sanctions Committee on Somalia which earned him the accolade of Secretary General
Kofi Annan for his “exceptional” and “able chairmanship” and was Vice-Chairman of the Sanctions
Committee on Liberia and the Democratic Republic of Congo, and Vice Chairman of the 1540 Committee
Against the Proliferation of Weapons of Mass Destruction to non-state actors. Ambassador Baja was also
Chairman of Security Council Resolution 1566 group which is tasked to suggest practical measures to
counter terrorism other than those related to Taliban and Al Qaeda and to study the possibility of
establishing an international fund for the victims of terrorist acts.
On December 6, 2005, Amb. Baja received The Outstanding Filipino (TOFIL) Award for Bilateral and
Multilateral Diplomacy. He was cited for “his outstanding work in the filed of bilateral and multilateral
diplomacy through the years which have helped give the proper forum and attention to national and global
concern and issue to make the world a better place to live in”. On June 24, 2006, Amb. Baja received the
University of the Philippines Alumni Association UPAA President’s award for his outstanding work in
diplomacy .
Recently, Ambassador Baja engineered the Philippines topping the election to the Economic and Social
Council (ECOSOC). The Philippines received 188 votes out of 192 member states, where 3 abstained and 1
stray ballot. This is the first time that the Philippines topped an election to a major organ of the United
Nations.
Ambassador Baja was also successful in having the Philippines elected to the Human Rights Council,
despite criticisms from non-governmental organizations about human rights in the country. He is currently
Vice-President of the General Assembly and has been designated Acting President of the 61st United
Nations General Assembly. He has successfully advocated Philippine initiatives in the United Nations on
international migration and development; interfaith cooperation for peace; debt conversion into Millennium
Development Goals projects; resolution on assistance to Guimaras; securing observer status for Asean,
etc., for which he received commendation from President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo, Speaker Jose De
Venecia and Secretary Alberto Romulo.
Ambassador Baja is married to the former Norma Castro. They are blessed with two children—Maria
Elizabeth and Lauro III. ###
Telephone Number: (212) 764-1300
Fax Number: (212) 764-8981
E-Mail Address: larrybaja@yahoo.com
Office Address: Philippine Mission to the United Nations
556 Fifth Avenue
New York, NY 10036
Philippines, with more than 40 years of diplomatic experience.
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. He is a member of the Philippine bar.
Ambassador Baja began his career in the Department of Foreign Affairs in Manila in 1962 as Legal Officer of
the Office of Legal Affairs (OLA) and later became the Chief of the Treaties Division of the OLA.
His first foreign assignment was in London where he served as Third Secretary and later Second Secretary
at the Philippine Embassy from 1967 to 1972. He then served as First Secretary and later as Career
Minister at the Philippine Mission to the UN in New York from 1972 to 1976.
Upon his return to the Philippines, Ambassador Baja served as Executive Director of the Office of United
Nations and Other International Organizations (UNIO) from 1977 to 1979 and Chief Coordinator and Special
Assistant to the Secretary of Foreign Affairs from 1980 to 1985.
In 1986, President Corazon Aquino named him Philippine Ambassador to Brazil. He served at the Philippine
Embassy in Brasilia from 1986 to 1993. At the end of his term, he was awarded the Ordem de Gran Cruz de
Rio Branco (Order of the Grand Cross of Rio Branco) by the Brazilian Government.
Ambassador Baja returned to Manila in 1993 and was named Assistant Secretary for Asian and Pacific
Affairs (ASPAC)—a position he held until 1997 when President Fidel Ramos named him Philippine
Ambassador to Italy. In Rome, he received another decoration—the Ufficiale nell Ordine’ Al Merito Republica
Italiana (Official Order of Merit) from the Italian government.
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.
Ambassador Baja’s many accomplishments during his term as Senior Undersecretary include the Manila
Declaration which established the ASEAN plus three with China, Japan and South Korea.; the ASEAN
Declaration Against Terrorism; the Trilateral Agreement among the Philippines, Indonesia and Malaysia on
the Exchange of Information and Establishment of Communications Procedure to Combat Terrorism; and
the 2002 Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea.
Ambassador Baja is also credited with initiating and establishing Foreign Ministry Consultations with
Portugal, Spain, France, Switzerland, Poland, Hungary, Romania, Pakistan, Egypt and Iran.
He also represented the Philippines in various meetings and conferences of the United Nations and other
international and regional organizations as head or member of the Philippine delegation.
In 2003, in recognition of his accomplishments, President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo conferred on
Ambassador Baja the Order of Sikatuna with the rank of Datu, the highest award a member of the Philippine
Foreign Service could receive. In 1999, he received the Gawad Mabini Award with the rank of Dakilang
Kamanong, the highest award by the Department of Foreign Affairs from President Joseph Estrada.
In 2004, Ambassador Baja received the Carlos P. Romulo United Nations Award from the United Nations
Association of the Philippines “outstanding performance and contribution to nation-building which
resembles the life of General Carlos P. Romulo as a diplomat.”
He also received the “Dangal ng Batangan” award as the most outstanding son of Batangas in 2004. He
was also named “Outstanding Alphan for 2003” by his University of the Philippines College of Law fraternity,
the Alpha Phi Beta. He was the outstanding alumnus of Batangas High School class 1954, which
celebrated their golden anniversary last year.
Because of his vast diplomatic experience, Ambassador Baja was chosen by President Arroyo to represent
the Philippines in the UN and oversee Manila’s participation as a non-permanent member of the Security
Council.
Shortly after he assumed his post as Permanent Representative, Ambassador Baja was elected chairman
of the Sixth (Legal) Committee of the 58th UN General Assembly, one of the main committees of the
Assembly.
Ambassador Baja engineered the election of the Philippines to the Security Council with a massive vote of
179 out of 181 members of the United Nations present and voting.
In June 2004 he presided over the Security Council and shepherded the unanimous adoption of the
landmark Security Council resolution 1546, which established the political process in Iraq.
He received unanimous recognition of the Secretary General and members of the Security Council for his
“outstanding efforts in bringing back unity in the Council and returning the United Nations to the center of
multilateral diplomacy”. In September 2005, he again presided over the Security Council and organized the
Security Council Summit in which President Gloria Macapagal- Arroyo became the first woman leader to do
so.
He chaired the 751 Sanctions Committee on Somalia which earned him the accolade of Secretary General
Kofi Annan for his “exceptional” and “able chairmanship” and was Vice-Chairman of the Sanctions
Committee on Liberia and the Democratic Republic of Congo, and Vice Chairman of the 1540 Committee
Against the Proliferation of Weapons of Mass Destruction to non-state actors. Ambassador Baja was also
Chairman of Security Council Resolution 1566 group which is tasked to suggest practical measures to
counter terrorism other than those related to Taliban and Al Qaeda and to study the possibility of
establishing an international fund for the victims of terrorist acts.
On December 6, 2005, Amb. Baja received The Outstanding Filipino (TOFIL) Award for Bilateral and
Multilateral Diplomacy. He was cited for “his outstanding work in the filed of bilateral and multilateral
diplomacy through the years which have helped give the proper forum and attention to national and global
concern and issue to make the world a better place to live in”. On June 24, 2006, Amb. Baja received the
University of the Philippines Alumni Association UPAA President’s award for his outstanding work in
diplomacy .
Recently, Ambassador Baja engineered the Philippines topping the election to the Economic and Social
Council (ECOSOC). The Philippines received 188 votes out of 192 member states, where 3 abstained and 1
stray ballot. This is the first time that the Philippines topped an election to a major organ of the United
Nations.
Ambassador Baja was also successful in having the Philippines elected to the Human Rights Council,
despite criticisms from non-governmental organizations about human rights in the country. He is currently
Vice-President of the General Assembly and has been designated Acting President of the 61st United
Nations General Assembly. He has successfully advocated Philippine initiatives in the United Nations on
international migration and development; interfaith cooperation for peace; debt conversion into Millennium
Development Goals projects; resolution on assistance to Guimaras; securing observer status for Asean,
etc., for which he received commendation from President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo, Speaker Jose De
Venecia and Secretary Alberto Romulo.
Ambassador Baja is married to the former Norma Castro. They are blessed with two children—Maria
Elizabeth and Lauro III. ###
Telephone Number: (212) 764-1300
Fax Number: (212) 764-8981
E-Mail Address: larrybaja@yahoo.com
Office Address: Philippine Mission to the United Nations
556 Fifth Avenue
New York, NY 10036
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