João Clemente Baena Soares Brazilian Ambassador currently is the Chairman of the Inter‐American Juridical Committee. He was Secretary General of the Organization of American States (1984 to 1994), elected for two consecutive terms. From 1997 to 2005, he was a member of the United Nations International Law Commission, which he chaired from 1998 to 2000. During his diplomatic career he served in various missions on behalf of the Federative Republic of Brazil. He has also been a professor in the Rio Branco Institute and in other Universities. Moreover, he has been granted a Doctor Honoris Causa from the Federal University of Pará and the Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul. He has published several scientific articles. In 1994, he published the book "Profile of a Mandate: ten years at the OAS" Among the major medals and honors received by Ambassador Baena Soares, stand: 1966 Ordem do Infante Dom Henrique de Portugal; 1977 Ordem de Rio Branco, Brasil; 1978 Mérito Mauá, Grã‐Cruz, Brasil; 1978 Ordre Nacional de la Legión d´Honneur, Francia; 1978 Ordem Militar de Cristo, Grã‐Cruz, Portugal; !979 Ordens do Mérito Militar y Naval, Grã‐Cruz, Brasil; 1983 Orden de Isabel la Católica, Gran‐Cruz, España; 1984 Orden del Cóndor de los Andes, Gran‐Cruz, Bolivia; 1988 Orden del Mérito de Duarte Sánchez y Mella, Gran‐Cruz, República Dominicana; 1994 Orden del Libertador, Gran‐Cruz, Venezuela.