Excerpt from an ode to dear Federico Villegas

They say an institution is what describes you best.

I would say “a great champion” who puts us all to the test.

…

There will be felt a great absence from Nyon to Cologny,

But the biggest void of all will be felt here in Pregny…

Last tweet as PR of 🇦🇷 in Geneva! Too many memories for my portable hardrive as a diplomat. I stay w/3 milestones of trust in #multilateralism , in spite of geopolitics: 7/21 #UNCTAD15 during a pandemic 4/22 end of #HRC49 & 11/23 #CCW approving a mandate on #LAWS . YES, WE CAN!

Goodbye and ‘see you soon’ Federico Villegas - thank you for your commitment to international Geneva & your friendship with the #Caribbean & #Barbados

Saying goodbye to one of our most experienced ambassadors, Ambassador Federico Villegas. Thank you for your knowledge, your wisdom, and your support for the system. Wishing you the best of luck!

Good bye and good luck Ambassador Federico Villegas!

It was a real pleasure serving as one of your media advisors during your 2022 🇦🇷presidency of the 🇺🇳Human Rights Council (@UN_HRC).

¡Muchas gracias y buena suerte!

“Courage is what it takes to stand up and speak, it’s also what it takes to sit down and listen” (también Winston Churchill) Gracias y hasta luego a mi amigo y colega tan valiente Federico Villegas de Argentina en OMC y ONU (Ginebra) You will be much missed in this town

Gracias totales al extraordinario equipo de Argentina en OMC y ONU (Ginebra) que tuve el privilegio de dirigir estos años. Ha sido un honor y una enorme satisfacción representar con ustedes a la Argentina en Ginebra en un momento crítico de desafios para el mundo y para nuestro país.

Nothing better than a positive collective transformation with colleagues with the human quality and professionalism of Agustin Giustiniani Gracias por todo Agus!

'The farther backward you can look, the farther forward you are likely to see' (W. Churchill). As I leave Geneva - as former Pres United Nations Human Rights Council- I reiterate my call to learn from past achievements in order to shape a forward looking narrative in #HumanRights to face global challenges

As I leave Geneva I thanked DG WTO Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala for her strenght & hard work to recover the key role of WTO and multilateral trade negotiations in facing 🌍 challenges, especially climate change and food insecurity. Very proud to have been 🇦🇷 PR during her tenure as first woman DG

Can we recover the spirit of the multilateral diplomacy that lead to the great achievements in disarmament & arms control of the 80's & 90's? As I leave Geneva & as a former UN Disarmament Fellow in 1994 & President of #CCW in 2023, I reflect on the challenges we all face today👇

What a wonderful night hosted by Ambassador Sheba Crocker to say goodbye to a real giant of Geneva Federico Villegas

So many roads in Geneva that we drove together to keep multilateralism alive!

Thanks dear Amb Sheba Crocker Ambassador Sheba Crocker for gathering friends as I leave Geneva. Your strong commitment for multilateral dialogue in spite of difficult geopolitics allowed us to work together promoting the long standing common values of 🇺🇲 & 🇦🇷. Until we meet again my friend!

Thanks, Amb Usha Dwarka-Canabady
UN Mauritius for a warm farewell w/friends. May our paths cross again to continue enjoying our friendship, your professionalism & our common interest in defending multilateralism and the principles of international law.

Thanks DG World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) Darren Tang for your leadership and our work together these years in Geneva. The role of World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) is essential to promote innovation to face global challenges, like climate change. 🇦🇷 always ready to contribute with our science & innovation in many sectors.

Thanks Amb James Baxter James Baxter for putting together the farwell of #CAIRNS group of friends. We have to continue pursuing our goals of agricultural reform at WTO to address sustainability and food insecurity. Always a pleasure for🇦🇷 & 🇦🇺 to work together in many good causes.

Thanks Amb Anita Pipan Slovenia to UN Geneva for a lovely farewell w/dear friends. 🇸🇮🇦🇷 work together in many issues, but our joint efforts to start the negotiation of a treaty to protect the rights of #olderpersons will always remain as one of the highlights of my years in Geneva.

Thank you for our intense cooperation over the last years in Geneva to preserve our multilateral disarmament frameworks against attempts to undermine it, and for your great expertise and commitment to boost responsible regulation especially as you presided over #CCW .

Today Ambassador Knudsen bid farewell to Federico Villegas 🇦🇷 - an outstanding colleague whose commitment to multilateralism & tireless work over the past years have left a great imprint on International Geneva. We thank him for his friendship & cooperation. 👏