Katherine Urbaez

Katherine Urbáez is the Founder and Executive Director of the Health Diplomacy Alliance, where she provides strategic leadership to integrate health into foreign policy and governance. Drawing on almost two decades of diplomatic experience, she promotes initiatives in global health, human rights, and humanitarian affairs, positioning the Alliance as a key actor shaping health diplomacy.

She leads the development of the Alliance’s vision and priorities, directs core programs, and oversees the work of the Diplomatic Task Force, promoting health as a central component of foreign policy and international cooperation.

Her career in public service began at the Ministry of Economy, Planning, and Development, followed by leadership of the Department of Administration of Treaties at the Ministry of Agriculture. She later joined the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, holding senior international postings including Permanent Mission to the WTO, Commercial Office in Hong Kong, Permanent Mission to the United Nations in Geneva, and the Embassy to the Swiss Confederation. These roles provided extensive experience in multilateral negotiations and complex policy environments.

Ms. Urbáez has served as institutional focal point for commissions on Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures, Safeguards, Antidumping, and Countervailing Measures. She chaired the 2016 Geneva-based Presidency of the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC) and coordinated her country’s participation on the Executive Board of the World Health Organization (WHO), advancing health policy integration in global governance.

She holds a bachelor’s degree in economics and a master’s degree in international strategy and diplomacy, complemented by advanced studies in international business, project management, political economy, and negotiation. A native Spanish speaker, she is also fluent in English, French, and Portuguese, and is married with two children.