Permanent Representative of Spain to the United Nations

The ambassador permanent representative of Spain to the United Nations is the official representative of the Kingdom of Spain to the United Nations (UN) based in New York City, United States. This permanent representation, unlike the Permanent Representation of Spain to the European Union, does not have its own legislation and is regulated by the general regulations governing diplomatic missions, by international law and by the internal law of the UN.

Ambassador Permanent Representative of Spain to the United Nations
Emblem of the Spanish Mission to the UN
Incumbent Héctor Gómez Hernández since 5 December 2023
Ministry of Foreign Affairs Secretariat of State for Foreign Affairs
Style	His Excellency
Member of	Permanent Mission of Spain to the United Nations
Residence	New York City
Nominator	Minister for Foreign Affairs
Appointer	The Monarch
Inaugural holder	José Félix de Lequerica y Erquiza
Formation	January 1, 1956; 69 years ago (1956-01-01)
Website

The United Nations has several headquarters in different countries. This position should not be confused with that of the ambassadors posted in Vienna, Geneva and Nairobi.

As of 6 October 2025, the current permanent representative of Spain to the United Nations is Héctor Gómez Hernández, who previously served as minister of Industry, Trade and Tourism from March to November 2023.^[1]

Permanent Mission of Spain to the United Nations

The Permanent Mission of Spain to the United Nations is the organization within the Spanish Foreign Service in charge of representing Spain before the UN and defending its interests and those of its citizens. It is also in charge of developing international relations with the UN, conducting the necessary negotiations and cooperating with the European External Action Service for the promotion and defense of the interests of the Union.

The Permanent Mission consists of the Permanent Representative, the Deputy Permanent Representative and the Chancellery. In addition, it is also made up of councillors, attachés, Sectoral Offices, Economic and Commercial Offices, Technical Cooperation Offices, Cultural Centers, Spanish Cooperation Training Centers, as well as the Cervantes Institute and, where appropriate, the Common Services Section.^[2]

The permanent representative, which is organizationally and functionally dependent on the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, represents the General State Administration as a whole, is the superior head of all the personnel of the Mission, directs the same and coordinates the Spanish External Action and the Foreign Service at the UN.^[2]

It works in close collaboration with the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs and the Directorate-General for the United Nations, International Organizations and Human Rights.

Origin

The Permanent Representation of Spain to the United Nations was approved by the Council of Ministers on December 23, 1955, and came into force on January 1 of the following year. It was established to represent Spain at the headquarters of the United Nations in New York and all its agencies,^[3] as a consequence of the country's entry into the organization on December 14, 1955.

List of ambassadors

For the purposes of this list, the date of publication of the appointment or dismissal in the Official State Gazette is taken into account.

Ambassador (Birth–Death)			Mandato			Prime Minister (Tenure)		Head of State (Tenure)	Ref.
			Took office	Left office	Duration
1		José Félix de Lequerica y Erquiza (1890–1963)	1 January 1956	9 June 1963†	7 years, 159 days		Francisco Franco (1939–1975)		[4]
2		Manuel Aznar Zubigaray (1894–1975)	22 February 1964	25 September 1967	3 years, 215 days				[5][6]
3		Jaime de Piniés (1917–2003)	26 October 1968	4 March 1972	3 years, 130 days				[7][8]
4		Jaime Alba Delibes (1908–1998)	18 March 1972	20 August 1973	1 year, 155 days				[9][10]
							Luis Carrero Blanco (1973)		[11][12]
5		Jaime de Piniés (1917–2003)	20 August 1973	30 August 1985	12 years, 10 days
							Carlos Arias Navarro (1973–1976)
								Juan Carlos I (1975–2014)
							Adolfo Suárez (1976–1981)
							Leopoldo Calvo-Sotelo (1981–1982)
							Felipe González (1982–1996)
6		Fernando Morán (1926–2020)	6 December 1985	30 April 1987	1 year, 145 days				[13][14]
7		Francisco Villar y Ortiz de Urbina (born 1945)	30 April 1987	15 March 1991	3 years, 319 days				[15][16]
8		Juan Antonio Yáñez-Barnuevo (born 1942)	29 April 1991	1 June 1996	5 years, 33 days				[17][18]
9		Carlos Westendorp (born 1937)	1 June 1996	28 June 1997	1 year, 27 days		José María Aznar (1996–2004)		[19][20]
10		Inocencio Arias (born 1940)	25 July 1997	20 April 2004	6 years, 270 days				[21][22]
11		Juan Antonio Yáñez-Barnuevo (born 1942)	20 April 2004	6 November 2010	6 years, 200 days		José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero (2004–2011)		[23][24]
12		Juan Pablo de Laiglesia (1948–2022)	6 November 2010	11 February 2012	1 year, 97 days				[25][26]
							Mariano Rajoy (2011–2018)		[27][28]
13		Fernando Arias (born 1952)	11 February 2012	9 November 2013	1 year, 271 days
14		Román Oyarzun Marchesi (born 1957)	9 November 2013	23 December 2017	4 years, 44 days				[29][30]
								Felipe VI (2014–present)
15		Jorge Moragas (born 1965)	23 December 2017	4 August 2018	224 days				[31][32]
							Pedro Sánchez (2018–present)
16		Agustín Santos Maraver (born 1955)	4 August 2018	14 June 2023	4 years, 314 days				[33][34]
17		Héctor Gómez Hernández (born 1978)	6 December 2023	Incumbent	1 year, 304 days				[35]

See also

• Spain and the United Nations
• Foreign relations of Spain