The Strength of Multilateralism: A Tribute to Luz Elena Baños
By Benoni Belli*
After more than six years leading the Permanent Mission of Mexico to the Organization of American States (OAS), Ambassador Luz Elena Baños will soon leave the position she held with pride, courage, and great distinction. She has been a career diplomat with nearly four decades of service to her country, during which time she accumulated vast experience in Latin America, the Caribbean, Europe, and Asia. During this period, she became an expert on a variety of fundamental issues—from security and defense to human rights, gender equality, and development. Luz Elena Baños put all this experience to work strengthening multilateralism at the OAS.
Ambassador Baños embodied better than anyone the values enshrined in the Organization's Charter: the peaceful resolution of disputes; respect for the sovereign equality of States; the primacy of international law; a welcoming and generous vision of human rights; and a democracy based on freedom, equality, and social justice. Armed with these values and commitments, she successfully held leadership positions in OAS bodies, such as chairing the Hemispheric Security Council, the Committee on Migration Affairs, and the Board of Directors of the Inter-American Development Agency, as well as serving as vice-chair of the Permanent Council.
Her astute analytical skills, combined with in-depth knowledge of the dossiers, made her an invaluable reference in any negotiating process. At critical moments for the Organization—whether in budgetary and financial matters or in political crises or humanitarian emergencies—the Mexican representative's contribution stood out not only for her crystal-clear reasoning and logical argumentation, but also for her common sense and, above all, her commitment to negotiated solutions. She did not limit herself, like many, to a rhetorical profession of faith in multilateralism and international law. She combined rhetoric with practical sense in her daily work.
By adopting this stance, she reflected her country's foreign policy, honing this reflection through her diplomatic brilliance. It is no exaggeration to say, pun intended, that Ambassador Luz Elena was a Light during a period characterized by growing tensions, questioning of multilateralism, and the return of anti-Enlightenment and obscurantist conceptions in various corners of the regional and global order. She is the Light Hannah Arendt spoke of in her book Men in Dark Times, the Light of hope even in dark times of moral collapse, when we most need to recover humanism and empathy. And Luz Elena was both a Light and a moral compass during the more than six years she served as permanent representative of her great country.
Ambassador Baños is leaving the OAS, but her legacy will live on. Her inspiring example will continue to be remembered as we face the daily challenges that confront us. Her decisive, firm, yet generous and understanding voice will continue to reverberate in the halls of the Organization. Today, more than ever, celebrating the career of Luz Elena Baños is celebrating multilateralism and international law. It expresses the conviction that international relations need not be reduced to pure power politics, but must be grounded in law and mutual respect, the only way to eliminate obscurantism and chaos, paving the way for the construction of a truly democratic, secure, prosperous, and supportive region. Thank you, Luz, for illuminating this tortuous path.
*Benoni Belli is a career ambassador and Brazil's permanent representative to the Organization of American States (OAS)
