Fernando Arias

H.E. Mr Fernando Arias was appointed Director-General of the OPCW in December 2017 by the Conference of the States Parties at its Twenty-Second Session. He began his four-year term of office on 25 July 2018. Prior to his appointment as OPCW Director-General, he served as the Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Kingdom of Spain’s to the Kingdom of the Netherlands, as well as Permanent Representative to the OPCW from 2014-2018.

Ambassador Arias has been a career diplomat since 1979 and has extensive multilateral experience with issues regarding weapons of mass destruction as well as bilateral experience in Africa, Asia, Eastern Europe, North America and South America. In the past decade, he has represented Spain at international organisations such as the OPCW and the United Nations (UN). Additionally, he also served as the Vice-President of the OPCW’s Executive Council from 2017 to 2018. At the UN, he was Spain’s Ambassador and Permanent Representative from 2012 to 2013. While at the UN, he also served as Vice-President of the 68th Session of the General Assembly and Vice President of the ECOSOC.

Previously, Ambassador Arias represented Spain as Deputy Chief of Mission in the People’s Republic of China). He was also Ambassador to Bulgaria, Ambassador to the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (now North Macedonia) while in residence in Sofia, Bulgaria, Director (Director General) of the Protocol Department of the Presidency of the Government from 2000 to 2004, Ambassador to the Islamic Republic of Mauritania, and Ambassador to the Republic of Mali. In addition to various posts held at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Spain, he also was Deputy Chief of Mission at the Embassies of Spain in the Republic of Argentina, the United Mexican States, and the Republic of Romania. He began his diplomatic career as Secretary and Cultural Counsellor at the Embassy of Spain to the Netherlands.

Ambassador Arias was born in Madrid, Spain in, 1952 and holds a degree in law from the Universidad Complutense de Madrid as well as a Certificate in International Studies from the Diplomatic School in Madrid, Spain.

He speaks fluent English, French, and Spanish. He is married and has three children.

Ambassador Arias’ contributions have been celebrated with six decorations from Spain and eleven decorations from Argentina, Brazil, Bulgaria, Chile, Ecuador, Germany, Greece, Luxembourg, Mauritania, and the Netherlands.