Ana Gervasi

Ana Gervasi
Gervasi in 2023
Minister of Foreign Affairs
In office
10 December 2022 – 6 November 2023
PresidentDina Boluarte
Prime MinisterPedro Angulo Arana
Alberto Otárola
Preceded byCésar Landa
Succeeded byJavier González-Olaechea [es]
Personal details
Born
Ana Cecilia Gervasi Diaz

1 December 1966[1]
Diedc. (aged 57)[2]
Lima, Peru
Political partyIndependent
EducationPontifical Catholic University of Peru
London School of Economics
University of Buenos Aires
Graduate Institute of International and Development Studies
ProfessionDiplomat

Ana Cecilia Gervasi Diaz (1 December 1966 – c. 4 September 2024[2]) was a Peruvian diplomat who was the country's Minister of Foreign Affairs between 10 December 2022 and 6 November 2023. Prior to this post, Gervasi served in diplomatic posts in Canada and the United States and at the United Nations at Geneva and the World Trade Organization.

Education

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Gervasi held a law degree from the Pontifical Catholic University of Peru and postgraduate degrees in international relations and diplomacy from the Diplomatic Academy of Peru.[3] She held a master's degree in international relations from the London School of Economics, specialized in multilateral diplomacy at the Graduate Institute of International and Development Studies in Geneva, and completed doctoral studies at the University of Buenos Aires.[3]

Diplomatic career

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A career diplomat, Gervasi worked as General Director of Economic Affairs, Economic Promotion and Investment Promotion at Peru's Ministry of Foreign Affairs.[3][4] She was also at different junctures Peru's Consul General in Toronto and Washington DC, and a counsellor and delegate of Peru to the United Nations in New York City and Geneva, and to the World Trade Organization.[3][4]

Gervasi was Deputy Minister of Foreign Trade and was then appointed Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs in August 2022, the first woman to hold the post.[3]

Foreign Affairs Minister

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Gervasi was appointed Minister of Foreign Affairs as part of President Dina Boluarte's new cabinet on 10 December 2022, following the arrest and impeachment of Pedro Castillo.[5][6] None of the 17 ministers appointed were members of a political party with any seats in Congress.[7][8] On 13 December, Gervasi summoned the ambassadors of Mexico, Bolivia, Argentina, and Colombia after their governments had signed a joint communique expressing concerns over Castillo's dismissal and arrest. Gervasi said on Twitter she "reiterated to them that the presidential succession is constitutional and that the decisions of former president Castillo on December 7 materialized a coup d'état".[9]

Gervasi resigned as minister on 6 November 2023 after she failed to secure a bilateral meeting between Boluarte and U.S. President Joe Biden at a summit in Washington.[10] A formal meeting with Biden at the White House was considered an important step in gaining international legitimacy for the Boluarte administration following Castillo's arrest.[11]

Death

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On 4 September 2024, Gervasi returned from Switzerland where she was working as a diplomat. That same day, she suffered a fall and injured her leg but refused to receive medical help. That was the last day she was seen alive.[2] Gervasi was found dead at her apartment in Miraflores, Lima, on 8 September 2024. She was 57.[12][13] Police were called to her home after she had not been heard from for several days preceding her death.[12][14]

References

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  1. ^ https://transparencia.rree.gob.pe/index.php/informacion-de-personal-5/61-personal-en-actividad/611-escalafon-del-sdr/7498-ano-2015/file
  2. ^ a b c "Ana Gervasi: PNP no encontró señales de violencia en el departamento de la excanciller de Dina Boluarte". Infobae. 9 September 2024. Retrieved 9 September 2024.
  3. ^ a b c d e "Peru: Ana Cecilia Gervasi appointed Deputy Foreign Affairs Min". Andina. 12 August 2022. Retrieved 14 December 2022.
  4. ^ a b "New Peruvian Foreign Minister Ana Cecilia Gervasi:UN Delegate and TPP11 Negotiator". The Storiest. 14 December 2022. Retrieved 14 December 2022.
  5. ^ Parkin Daniels, Joe (11 December 2022). "Peru's new leader appoints moderate cabinet after months of chaos". Financial Times. Retrieved 14 December 2022.
  6. ^ Aquino, Marco (11 December 2022). "Peru's president Boluarte names cabinet following Castillo ouster". Reuters. Retrieved 14 December 2022.
  7. ^ "Peru's Boluarte names Cabinet led by ex-prosecutor". La Prensa Latina. 10 December 2022. Retrieved 14 December 2022.
  8. ^ "Peru's new president swears in her cabinet with anti-corruption pledge". The Guardian. 11 December 2022. Retrieved 14 December 2022.
  9. ^ Stewart, Daniel (14 December 2022). "Peruvian Government summons ambassadors of Mexico, Argentina, Bolivia and Colombia for their support to Castillo". 360 News. Retrieved 14 December 2022.
  10. ^ "Peru foreign minister resigns following US visit controversy". Reuters. 6 November 2023. Retrieved 10 November 2023.
  11. ^ Gómez Vega, Renzo (7 November 2023). "Renuncia la canciller peruana tras la fallida reunión entre Dina Boluarte y Joe Biden". El País (in Spanish). Retrieved 10 November 2023.
  12. ^ a b "Murió Ana Gervasi, exministra de Relaciones Exteriores, a los 57 años: había sido reportada como desaparecida hace algunos días" (in Spanish). Infobae. 9 September 2024. Retrieved 9 September 2024.
  13. ^ "Cancillería expresa su profundo pesar ante el lamentable fallecimiento de la Embajadora Ana Cecilia Gervasi Díaz, excanciller de la República" (in Spanish). 9 September 2024. Retrieved 9 September 2024.
  14. ^ "Ana Gervasi, exministra de Relaciones Exteriores, fue hallada sin vida en su departamento en Miraflores" (in Spanish). La Karibena. 8 September 2024. Retrieved 9 September 2024.
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