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Fernando Arias
open-in-new
<h2 id="background">Background</h2> <p>The appointment of Ambassador Arias followed a consensus recommendation by the OPCW Executive Council in October 2017. Arias was re-appointed for a second four year term on 30 November 2021.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:2" href="#fn:2"><sup>2</sup></a> </p><p>Ambassador Arias is a career diplomat with extensive experience in multilateral diplomacy. Previously, he served as Ambassador of Spain to the Netherlands and the Permanent Representative of Spain to the OPCW. He also has served as Permanent Representative of Spain to the United Nations in New York and Ambassador of Spain to Mali, Mauritania, former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, and Bulgaria. </p> <h2 id="decorations">Decorations</h2> Spanish Decorations<table><tbody><tr><th>Decoration</th><th>Date Awarded</th></tr><tr><td>Commander (Highest Grade), <a href="/facts/Order_of_Charles_III/gDAVqBa4">Order of Charles III</a></td><td>2004</td></tr><tr><td>Commander, (Highest Grade) <a href="/facts/Order_of_Isabella_the_Catholic/hnh3Jy2Q">Order of Isabella the Catholic</a></td><td>12 March 2012</td></tr><tr><td>Commander, Order of Isabella the Catholic</td><td>6 December 1995</td></tr><tr><td>Official, Order of Isabella the Catholic</td><td>24 June 1987</td></tr><tr><td>Commander, <a href="/facts/Order_of_Civil_Merit/hG3kAdx0">Order of Civil Merit</a></td><td>23 June 1990</td></tr><tr><td>Official, Order of Civil Merit</td><td>23 June 1984</td></tr><tr><td><a href="/facts/Order_of_Police_Merit/kBBEqNrV">Cross of the Spanish Police</a> with White Distinctive</td><td>2006</td></tr></tbody></table> Foreign Decorations<table><tbody><tr><th>Decoration</th><th>Country</th></tr><tr><td>Grand Cross, <a href="/facts/Order_of_Orange-Nassau/pr9ynJDP">Order of Orange-Nassau</a></td><td>Netherlands</td></tr><tr><td>Commander, Order of Orange Nassau</td><td>Netherlands</td></tr><tr><td>Official, Order of Orange Nassau</td><td>Netherlands</td></tr><tr><td>Commander, <a href="/facts/National_Order_of_Merit_(Mauritania)/G7NTHXz9">National Order of Merit</a></td><td>Mauritania</td></tr><tr><td>Grand Cross, <a href="/facts/Order_of_May/qQG4eXUy">Order of May</a></td><td>Argentina</td></tr><tr><td>Grand Cross, <a href="/facts/Grand-Duchy_of_Luxembourg/vRN04l7f">Grand-Duchy of Luxembourg</a></td><td>Luxembourg</td></tr><tr><td>Grand Cross, <a href="/facts/Order_of_Bernardo_O%2527Higgins/3HArq6zX">Order of Bernardo O'Higgins</a></td><td>Chile</td></tr><tr><td>Grand Cross, Order of Honorato Vásquez</td><td>Ecuador</td></tr><tr><td>Grand Cross, <a href="/facts/Order_of_the_Phoenix_(Greece)/yvxGcjfJ">Order of the Phoenix</a></td><td>Greece</td></tr><tr><td>Grand Officer, <a href="/facts/Order_of_Merit_of_the_Federal_Republic_of_Germany/k61E5k2R">Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany</a></td><td>Germany</td></tr><tr><td>Grand Cross, Stara Planina</td><td>Bulgaria</td></tr><tr><td>Grand Cross, Rio Branco</td><td>Brazil</td></tr><tr><td>Commander, <a href="/facts/Order_of_St._Gregory_the_Great/aTQFgsb2">Order of St. Gregory the Great</a></td><td>Vatican City</td></tr><tr><td>Knight, <a href="/facts/National_Order_of_the_Legion_of_Honour/XmLQTz71">National Order of the Legion of Honour</a></td><td>France</td></tr></tbody></table> <h2 id="references">References</h2> <ol> <li id="fn:1"><p>"Ambassador Fernando Arias Assumes Office as OPCW Director-General". <a href="https://www.opcw.org/media-centre/news/2018/07/ambassador-fernando-arias-assumes-office-opcw-director-general" target="_blank">https://www.opcw.org/media-centre/news/2018/07/ambassador-fernando-arias-assumes-office-opcw-director-general</a> <a href="#fnref:1" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:2"><p>"Fernando Arias re-appointed as OPCW Director-General". <a href="https://www.opcw.org/media-centre/news/2021/11/fernando-arias-re-appointed-opcw-director-general" target="_blank">https://www.opcw.org/media-centre/news/2021/11/fernando-arias-re-appointed-opcw-director-general</a> <a href="#fnref:2" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> </ol>