Biography of Roberto Ochoa Madrid
He was born in the city of Tegucigalpa, on July 10, 1959. He has a degree in Legal and Social Sciences with an orientation in Public International Law, and a Lawyer from the National Autonomous University of Honduras; He has a Master’s degree in Social Sciences, graduated with CUM LAUDE honors from the Institute of Political and Social Studies of the Francisco Marroquín University of Guatemala. Likewise, he has received courses at the Universities: Pontifical Gregorian University of Rome, Italy; Haifa, Tel Aviv and Hebrew of Jerusalem, Israel; Rice University of Houston, Texas, USA; Taipei Institute of Policy Studies, Republic of China (Taiwan); Inter-American Institute of Human Rights, San José, Costa Rica; and the Institute for University Cooperation in Rome, Italy.
He is a Career Diplomat of the Honduran Foreign Service since January 16, 2001; he rose to the rank of Ambassador in the Diplomatic Ladder on January 11, 2007.
He has performed functions as Advisor, Coordinator, Director of the Presidential Command Transmissions of Mr. Juan Orlando Hernández (2014), Mr. Porfirio Lobo Sosa (2010), Mr. José Manuel Zelaya Rosales (2006), Mr. Carlos Roberto Flores (1998) and Mr. Carlos Roberto Reina (1994).
Likewise, he has served as Advisor on International Affairs and Coordinator for Tegucigalpa of the Union of Ibero-American Capital Cities (UCCI), 2002-2006 and Advisor to the Municipal Mayor’s Office of the Central District during the same period.
His leadership for teamwork, organizational and professional capacity, have allowed him to assume responsibility in more than a hundred Work, Official and State Visits, standing out as General and Executive Coordinator of the XXXIX (2012); XXIX (2011); XVII (1995); VI (1992) Ordinary Meetings of Heads of State and Government of the Member Countries of the Central American Integration System (SICA); as well as Coordinator of the Ceremonial, Protocol and Official Events Commission of the Conference on Peace and Development in Central America (1994).
Other positions held:
- Presidential Commissioner of the Republic of Honduras before the Executive Committee of the Central American Integration System (SICA), from June 2014 to date.
- Undersecretary of State in the Office of Foreign Relations and International Cooperation, from May 15, 2013 to date.
- General Director of Foreign Policy of the Secretary of State in the Office of Foreign Relations of Honduras (2010-2013).
- Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Republic of Honduras in the Hellenic Republic (2008 – 2010),
- Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Republic of Honduras in the Republic of Hungary (2007 – 2010),
- Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Republic of Honduras in the Republic of Cyprus (2006 – 2010),
- Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Republic of Honduras in the Italian Republic (2006 – 2010),
- Permanent Delegate for Honduras to the Italo-Latin American Institute (IILA), (2006-2010),
- Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Republic of Honduras in the State of Israel (2000-2002),
- General Director of the Diplomatic Ceremonial (1991-1993, 1995-1997 and 1998-1999),
- Advisor to the Directorate of Ceremonial and Protocol of the Presidential House (1997-1998),
- Director of External Cooperation and Resource Mobilization (1997),
- Advisor and Manager of the General Direction of the Diplomatic Ceremonial (July 26 to August 31, 1995).
- Consul General of Honduras in Houston, Texas (1993-1994).
- Deputy Director General of Foreign Policy (1990-1991)
In the multilateral sphere, he has served to date as the National Coordinator of Honduras before the Ibero-American General Secretariat (SEGIB) and the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC). Head of the Honduran Delegation in the Central American Security Commission of SICA. In this same area, he has participated as Head of Delegation and Representative in the Dialogue and International Cooperation Forums, as well as in the following International Organizations: United Nations Organization (UN), Organization of American States (OAS), Association of United States of the Caribbean (AEC), Pacific Alliance (AP), Petrocaribe, Mercosur, Paths to Prosperity in the Americas, Summit of the Americas and China-Latin America and the Caribbean Business Summits, as well as in the Conference of States Parties to the Pact of Saint Joseph.
In the Bilateral sphere, it participated and developed the Binational Commissions and Political Consultations with the Republics of Chile, Guatemala, Ecuador, Panama, Colombia and Mexico.
He has coordinated institutional and professional cooperation, modernization and training programs with the Governments of Italy, Israel, Spain, Chile and Ecuador, the United Nations Organization (UN), the Organization of American States (OAS), UNDP, UNICEF, UNESCO, SIECA and SG-SICA, and in the Municipal Government with all the Ibero-American Capital cities, achieving in the city of San Francisco de Quito in 2004 the granting of Plaza Mayor of Ibero-American Culture for his hometown, within the framework of the XIX Meeting of the Sectoral Culture Committee of the Union of Ibero-American Capital Cities (UCCI).
During the national emergency caused by Hurricane Mitch in 1998, he served as Liaison between the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and all Diplomatic Missions, Consular, International Organizations and Non-Governmental Organizations, accredited before the People and Government of Honduras; and in a second stage, as Coordinator of the High Level visits of the International Community, which came to collaborate with the national reconstruction.
In different periods, he has been Full Professor in the Faculties of Legal and Social Sciences, Journalism, International Trade of the National Autonomous University of Honduras and the Training School for Police Officers.
In the private sector, he has served as Director of Sales and Marketing of the then Princess Hotel in Tegucigalpa, a Grand Luxury category establishment, gaining experience in attracting and managing tourism, business administration and contributing through the Honduran Hotel Association and the National Chamber of Tourism in the formation of the service culture of the country.
Among the mentions received, the following stand out: the declarations of Ambassador Grove of the State of Israel, Honorary Citizen and Goodwill Ambassador of the cities of: Salerno, Santa Severina, Melfi and others in the Italian Republic, Houston and Austin, Texas, and of the Intendancy of San Cosme and Damian of Paraguay, as well as Recognition Plates from the Consular Corps, the Honduran Association and the Inter-American Chamber of Commerce of the city of Houston, the National Autonomous University of Honduras, the Diplomatic Corps and GRULAC accredited before the State of Israel , Diplomatic Corps and the Association of Diplomats accredited to the People and Government of Honduras. In 2010, President Georgio Napolitano conferred on him the Order of Knight Grand Cross of the Italian Republic.
He dominates the English and Italian languages, enriching himself on a personal level with reading, art, culture and especially with community work and parish service in the Archdiocese of Tegucigalpa and in the other Dioceses where he has resided and of which he is always active member.
