Ambassador of Mexico on a Courtesy Visit to the University of Wrocław
On Thursday, March 13, Ambassador of Mexico, Juan Sandoval Mendiolea, was the guest of the Rector of the University of Wrocław, prof. dr hab. Robert Olkiewicz.
The cultural and economic cooperation agreement between our countries was signed 95 years ago. Among Latin American countries, Poland has the most extensive economic and cultural ties with Mexico. During the visit, the Ambassador presented the Rector with the final protocol from the Mexican-Polish mixed commission meeting on educational and cultural cooperation. The outcome of the meeting was an agreement to strengthen efforts aimed at enhancing scientific and educational collaboration between our University and Mexican institutions.
The meeting was attended by dr Jakub Żurek and Urszula Broda, Head of the UWr International Office, who accompanied the Ambassador.
It is worth noting that Wrocław hosts the Honorary Consulate of the United Mexican States, with Bogdan Spiż serving as Honorary Consul for many years. During his visit, the Ambassador also had the opportunity to tour the main building of our University and the University Museum.
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Ambassador Juan Sandoval Mendiolea is a professional diplomat. He joined the Mexican Foreign Service in 1992 and was promoted to the rank of Ambassador in 2014.
From 2015 to 2021, he served as Deputy Permanent Representative of Mexico to the United Nations in New York. Currently, he is the Ambassador of Mexico to Poland.
He completed his law studies at the Escuela Libre de Derecho in Mexico (1984-1989) and studied diplomacy at the Matías Romero Institute (1992-1993). He has also pursued postgraduate studies in France, Switzerland, the Netherlands, and Brazil.
At the Mexican Ministry of Foreign Affairs, he held several key positions, including Director General for United Nations Affairs (2013-2015), Coordinator of the Undersecretary’s Advisors for Multilateral Affairs and Human Rights (2007-2013), Deputy Director General for American Organizations and Regional Mechanisms (2006-2007), and Deputy National Coordinator for Summit Meetings.
Ambassador Juan Sandoval Mendiolea also served as Deputy Representative to the Organization of American States (OAS) in Washington, D.C. from 2001 to 2006. He was Mexico’s expert on the OAS’s Multilateral Evaluation Mechanism (MEM) for Drug Control and the Mechanism for the Implementation of the Inter-American Convention against Corruption (MESICIC). Additionally, he chaired the OAS Special Committee on Transnational Organized Crime.
From 1994 to 2001, Ambassador Mendiolea was a Legal Advisor and Human Rights Officer at the Mexican Embassy in France, where he represented Mexico at numerous meetings of the UN, OECD, UNESCO, and the Council of Europe. He also played a key role in organizing preparatory conferences for the UN Climate Change Conference (COP-16) in Cancun. From 2011 to 2013, he led negotiations for Mexico’s accession to key export control groups, including the Wassenaar Arrangement, the Australia Group, and the Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG). He also participated in the national working group for Mexico’s reintegration into UN peacekeeping operations from 2013 to 2015.
Ambassador Juan Sandoval Mendiolea co-chaired the III United Nations Science, Technology, and Innovation (STI) Forum alongside the representative from Japan. He served as Chair of the Working Group on the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court from 2018 to 2021 and led the Group of Friends of Voluntary National Reviews and the Continuation of the 2030 Agenda from 2019 to 2021. Ambassador Mendiolea was elected Vice President of the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) for the 2019–2020 term, chairing the operational segment for development, and was re-elected as Chair of the Integration Segment for the 2020–2021 term.
On the academic front, Ambassador Mendiolea has served as a professor at prestigious institutions, including the Ibero-American University (Universidad Iberoamericana) and the Escuela Libre de Derecho in Mexico City. He has also delivered lectures at renowned universities and institutions such as the University of Toulouse, the Higher War College, the Center for Higher Naval Studies, UNAM, Olmec University, the College of Mexico, the Matías Romero Institute, Georgetown University, and the University of Southern California. Additionally, Ambassador Mendiolea is a member of the Mexican Council on International Relations (COMEXI).
Ambassador Juan Sandoval Mendiolea has been awarded the Order of Isabella the Catholic by the Kingdom of Spain. He is fluent in Spanish, English, French, Portuguese, and Italian. Ambassador Sandoval is married and has two children.
Photo report: Dominika Hull-Bruska
Translated by Valiantsina Trafimuk (student of English Studies at the University of Wrocław) as part of the translation practice.
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Date of publication: 14.03.2025
Added by: M.J.
