Ambassador of Peru

It is a warm homecoming for the Ambassador of Peru, His Excellency Ignacio Higueras Hare, who returns to the UK after completing his master’s degree at Birmingham University over 30 years ago. “My time in the UK was a great experience; I made a lot of friends and spent a good amount of time in London. I had great teachers too, some of whom are in high positions in academia today, so I have reconnected with them to discuss potential partnerships and collaborations.”

The son of an Ambassador in Peru’s foreign service, Ambassador Higueras notes that his upbringing undoubtedly influenced his career choices. “My brothers and I travelled and lived with our parents in several postings when we were growing up. So, it was natural that I had an interest in international affairs, although you should note that I am the only brother out of four who chose a diplomatic career!” The draw of foreign affairs is obviously strong, as he admits one of his two sons has chosen a diplomatic profession as well.

After a 35-year career in diplomacy, he notes that he’s gathered a lot of experience in different fields, which is typical of Peru’s diplomatic service. “In my case, I’ve covered economics in Chile, narcotics and military affairs at the Embassy in Washington DC, and when I was Deputy Head of Mission in Brussels, I oversaw the work of the Embassy in Belgium and Luxembourg, plus our representation to the EU. I also worked on consular affairs in Paris, and back in Lima, I worked in the press department, the Minister’s office, on economic promotion, and in Integration.” He’s quick to note that he “learnt a lot from the colleagues that [he] came across along the way – particularly during challenging times.”

His first posting as Ambassador was five years spent in Bogota, “a very positive experience. As a neighbouring country, our relationship with Colombia is important. We had a broad agenda that covered politics, economics, the border and cultural issues. The job required plenty of travel to the various large cities in Colombia, which I enjoyed.”

Twice, he was appointed as Peru’s Vice-Minister of Foreign Affairs, a role that dealt with the policy demands of the Ministry – multilateral, bilateral, economic, consular affairs. “It was a broad portfolio, with big teams in each area. During this first appointment,” he recalls “the major challenge was to negotiate and introduce COVID-19 vaccine supplies to Peru. As it was an unusual situation, the President of the Republic and the Minister of Foreign Affairs were heavily involved. There were also elections in 2021, and we had to help our embassies and consular offices abroad to coordinate and organise our international votes.” Ambassador Higueras was recalled to this post following a coup attempt, in which Peru’s President, Pedro Castillo, was removed from office and detained after he announced he would shutter congress and install a ‘government of exception’ – just hours before he was due to face an impeachment vote. “There were very tense and complicated moments. We were able to affirm the new President Dina Boluarte in the international arena, and then we could again focus on the various multilateral, bilateral and economic agendas.”

Now in the UK, Ambassador Higueras is proud to build on the foundations of the good political relationship between the two countries. “Last year we celebrated 200 years of diplomatic relations, and while I was still Vice Minister, I was pleased to host our UK counterpart in Lima.” He notes that economic relations are looking positive too. “We are about to complete the economic architecture of our relationship with regards to trade and investment. We have a G2G agreement with the UK, which is working very well.” The signing of the agreement took place at the Presidential Palace in Lima last August between President Boluarte, and HM’s Ambassador Gavin Cook. The agreement has allowed for expansion “in infrastructure – in roads, hospitals and schools. I also hope to sign a double taxation agreement in the next few weeks too, which will continue to make relations even more favourable.” He continues: “The UK is the first foreign investor in Peru. It has also recently become a full member of the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP), of which Peru is a founding member. This will be the second trade platform that the business people of the UK and Peru can use as the basis for cooperation.”

Ambassador Higueras is also quick to highlight the importance of the cultural work that he and his colleagues do in art, music and history, along with people-to-people relations. The Embassy recently hosted an exhibition on the bicentenary of independence. “We love to share our cultural activities with British nationals.” This was particularly visible last year surrounding the launch of the third Paddington Bear movie, Paddington in Peru. “It was a great opportunity to participate in all the movie’s activities and were delighted with the film’s success.”

Peru was also an active presence at COP29. The Ambassador explains: “Peru defined its nationally determined contributions, as many other countries did. Financing has been a challenging issue for everybody. But we are part of the coalition that shares an urgency to act on climate change. One issue that we share with the UK is plastics. Along with 67 other members, the UK and Peru are part of the High Ambition Coalition to End Plastic Pollution, (with the overarching goal to end plastic pollution by 2040), which is working on an ambitious convention with the United Nations, and we hope to finalise an agreement soon.”

What does the Ambassador think is Peru’s greatest diplomatic challenge? “Early 2025 finds us in a complicated international arena. We are in changing world where things are moving fast. Peru faces the challenge – like many other countries – that it must find its place in the world that can give us a platform on which we can push our national interests. It is quite complicated for all countries to find that place, and perhaps on certain issues we can work together to give us a stronger voice.

Ambassador of Peru His Excellency Ignacio Higueras with his wife Ena Garcia de Higueras at the 29^th Orchid Festival at Kew Gardens, February 2025, of which the Embassy of Peru was co-host

“But ultimately, Peru must continue to broaden its free-trade agreements. We have more than 20 free-trade agreements with the most important partners in the world, and we continue to expand that platform. For example, Peru has recently signed a free-trade agreement with Hong Kong, and we are advancing our discussions with India, Indonesia and Turkey. Another important objective for Peru, which will admittedly be a lengthy process, is our accession to the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), which is supported by the UK.”

A self-confessed “sporty guy,” the Ambassador likes to swim and cycle. He and his wife particularly enjoy architecture and visiting cathedrals and museums on their travels, and they look forward to planning various visits to Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland in 2025. A highlight of his time in the UK so far was the pride he felt wearing Peru’s highest decorations “The Sun of Peru” (awarded to him throughout his career) at his Credentials presentation at Buckingham Palace. He describes “a positive conversation with the King, which covered a whole array of issues relating to UK-Peru relations, as well as a bit about our personal life in London. The King was in good spirits and very well briefed, which meant it was a particularly enjoyable occasion.”