Her Excellency

Growing up in El Salvador, the Ambassador recalls her parents installing within her “a deep sense of solidarity. There was a profound analysis of social reality and cultural awareness present in our household. This is why I believe in the mission that we have as public officials: to transform our reality and help to create opportunities for everyone, especially the most vulnerable.” 

When the Ambassador started working in the diplomatic service, she became captivated by her work “to defend and promote our nation’s interests abroad, as well as to find solutions to the different urgent matters that humanity needs to resolve as a unified community.”

The Ambassador comes to the UK with huge diplomatic experience. At the start of her career at the El Salvador Ministry of Foreign Affairs she drafted a proposal to establish an embassy or consulate of El Salvador in Australia. “This proposal became the foundations for the opening of our first consulate in Melbourne. Then, almost 10 years later, the Government announced its decision to open an Embassy of El Salvador in Canberra, and I was designated Charge d'Affaires to oversee the process of establishing the mission from September 2012.

“It was a great challenge because we had to, literally, develop the physical installation of the Embassy, along with purchasing the furniture, the internet and telecommunications system. At that time, El Salvador was the first Central American country with an Embassy in Canberra.” Once the Embassy was established, as Minister Counsellor (until December 2014) she oversaw the follow-up of El Salvador’s bilateral agenda with Australia and New Zealand.

Prior to coming to the UK, came a role as El Salvador’s Ambassador to Brazil (2014 to 2019) and then to Panama (2019 to 2024). “We developed wonderful cooperation between El Salvador and Brazil in areas such as health, agriculture, security and pharmacovigilance. One of my favourite projects was the implementation of the human milk bank and the voluntary and altruistic blood donation systems. Nevertheless, we faced a difficult and complex political period in Brazil due to the impeachment of President Dilma Rousseff.” 

The Ambassador’s time in Panama coincided with the Covid-19 global pandemic and the associated lockdowns. “With both the Salvadoran and Panamanian airports facing temporary closures, many of our compatriots were forced to remain in Panamanian territory. During that period our Embassy team offered support to people who had been stranded and arranged humanitarian flights to return them to our country. We prioritised the consular agenda, given that a large portion of the Salvadorans living in Panama were in highly vulnerable conditions. We developed different assistant projects and worked to strengthen the skills and capabilities of our Salvadoran entrepreneurs.”  

Now in London, Ambassador Vanegas plans “to strengthen our political, economic and cooperation dialogue with the UK, at all levels (national, local and parliamentary).” She highlights: “El Salvador recognises the importance of the UK´s leadership in both the European region and the international arena, as well as its commitment to search for a common agenda that contributes to the development of nations.”

With regards to trade, she explains “El Salvador aims to develop an inclusive and resilient economy, by reducing its unemployment rates and generating economic growth. El Salvador wishes to strengthen trade exchanges with the UK.” She continues: “Our government is currently making major efforts to improve trading and investment through the actualisation of its legal trading framework, as well as other initiatives to protect and attract foreign investments and trading opportunities in priority sectors, such as infrastructure and developing renewable energies. We would like to work with the UK authorities and British companies in these fields.”

Furthermore, she clarifies that “El Salvador is interested in strengthening bilateral cooperation between the two countries in areas of mutual interest. Currently, our country prioritises areas such as: education, energy, health, early childhood, economic development and digital transformation, among others.”

Ambassador Vanegas notes how “El Salvador appreciates the various cooperation opportunities provided by the UK government, particularly through its inclusion into the Biodiverse Landscapes Fund for the Trifinio Region. This will support restoration efforts in ecosystems and landscapes and strengthen protected areas in El Salvador.” She explains that El Salvador has benefited from the Chevening Scholarship Programme: “we are grateful for all this has done to help improve the country’s education system.” 

Climate change and environment are also important issues on the agenda. “In the run up to COP29, El Salvador reaffirms its commitment to the preservation and conservation of our natural resources. In this context, it is important for us to develop a comprehensive approach to the challenges of climate change in food security. We must reinforce the call to nations that emit greenhouse gases to work towards their greenhouse gas emission commitments, which might affect the agriculture, mobility and economies of smaller countries like El Salvador.”