Ambassador Carolin Konther López stands as a trailblazing diplomat, representing the Republic of Paraguay in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) with remarkable vision and determination. Appointed to her role in April 2024, she is not only Paraguay’s highest diplomatic representative in the UAE but also holds the distinguished title of being the only female ambassador from Latin America in the region. This distinction underscores her pivotal role in strengthening diplomatic ties between Paraguay and the UAE, as well as her commitment to advancing bilateral cooperation across multiple sectors.
As a diplomat and public servant with an impressive track record, Ambassador Carolin Konther López also serves as Ambassador of the Republic of Paraguay to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the Kingdom of Bahrain (non-resident). Under the leadership of President Santiago Peña, she was entrusted with the mission of deepening Paraguay’s global integration and fostering key international alliances. Now, in her position in the UAE, she brings this wealth of experience to further elevate Paraguay’s presence on the world stage.
Her diplomatic approach is grounded in four fundamental pillars: diplomatic policy, economic investment, academia, and promote cultural and tourist exchange .Ambassador Carolin Konther López has laid out a comprehensive work proposal that focuses on strengthening high-level political and economic relations, signing bilateral agreements, and promoting strategic cooperation between Paraguay and the UAE. She has actively worked to cultivate trust and collaboration between the leadership of both nations, recognizing the UAE as a key partner in Paraguay’s vision for sustainable development and global connectivity.
Ambassador Carolin Konther López has also demonstrated a strong commitment to gender equality and women’s empowerment. In January 2025, she made an official visit to the UAE Gender Balance Council headquarters in Abu Dhabi, where she expressed her deep appreciation for the efforts of H.H. Sheikha Fatima bint Mubarak, the Mother of the Nation. She emphasized the importance of fostering collaboration between Paraguay and the UAE in promoting women’s empowerment, leadership, and economic participation.
Her diplomatic efforts have already borne fruit, with Paraguay and the UAE deepening their engagement through high-level visits, strategic dialogues, and cooperation agreements. A historic milestone was reached with the signing of the Memorandum of Understanding on Cybersecurity between the governments of Paraguay and the UAE. This agreement, signed during the Gitex event in Dubai—one of the largest technology exhibitions in the world—paves the way for Paraguay to adopt modern, cutting-edge security systems in alignment with global best practices.
Ambassador Carolin Konther López is also a key proponent of economic diplomacy, working tirelessly to position Paraguay as a reliable trade and investment partner for the UAE. Recognizing Paraguay’s strength as a major food producer capable of feeding over 100 million people, she is advocating for trade policies that facilitate the export of Paraguayan agricultural products to the Gulf region. Her vision includes leveraging the UAE’s position as a global trade hub to expand Paraguay’s reach into Asian markets, ensuring a mutually beneficial trade relationship built on sustainability, quality, and efficiency.
In the cultural sphere, Ambassador Konther López is spearheading initiatives to promote Paraguayan heritage and tourism in the UAE. Under her leadership, Paraguay will hold its first-ever Paraguayan Cultural Week in Abu Dhabi, featuring a rich program of artistic performances, academic exchanges, culinary showcases, and business forums. This initiative aims to strengthen cultural diplomacy and create lasting bonds between the people of Paraguay and the UAE.
Ambassador Carolin Konther López has also been instrumental in advocating for Paraguay’s leadership in renewable energy. At the 15th session of the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) Assembly held in Abu Dhabi, she reaffirmed Paraguay’s commitment to working constructively with IRENA to achieve shared energy objectives. Highlighting Paraguay’s vast potential, she invited initiatives such as the IRENA Climate Investment Platform to take a leading role in the country’s development, emphasizing the extraordinary opportunities for investment in Paraguay’s renewable energy sector.
Furthermore, she is driving efforts to attract Emirati investments into key Paraguayan sectors such as agriculture, renewable energy, infrastructure, and technology. With Paraguay offering one of the most favorable business environments in Latin America, characterized by macroeconomic stability, low taxation, and legal security, she envisions a future where Emirati investors play a transformative role in Paraguay’s economic growth and development.
As Ambassador Carolin Konther López continues to shape the diplomatic and economic landscape between Paraguay and the UAE, she remains a formidable advocate for her country on the international stage. Her leadership, dedication, and strategic vision make her a powerful force in advancing Paraguay’s interests and cementing its position as a dynamic and forward-thinking nation in the global arena.
In the following exclusive interview for Latin&Gulf, we delve deeper into her insights on the evolving relationship between Paraguay and the UAE, the strategic initiatives being implemented, and her aspirations for the future of bilateral cooperation.
Could you share an overview of the current state of diplomatic relations between Paraguay and the UAE?
The diplomatic relations between Paraguay and the United Arab Emirates are going through a historic moment, where thanks to the humanistic leadership of President of Paraguay, H.E. Santiago Peña and His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, President of the United Arab Emirates, progress has been made in the strategic partnership between our two countries, where we have dynamically promoted high-level political and diplomatic exchange, through multiple official visits and exchanges of high-level delegations, both at the political/diplomatic level, as well as at the level of trade, investment and cultural exchange. Initiatives that have allowed the signing of several important cooperation agreements, through Memorandum of Understanding, which are considered the fundamental basis for cooperation in various areas, making Paraguay and the United Arab Emirates reliable and strategic allies. These efforts allow strengthening the relations of friendship and cooperation between Paraguay and the United Arab Emirates.
“Paraguay and the United Arab Emirates are going through a historic moment, where thanks to the humanistic leadership of President of Paraguay, H.E. Santiago Peña and His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, President of the United Arab Emirates.”
What are the key areas of collaboration between Paraguay and the UAE, and how do you see these evolving in the future?
Our government, headed by President Santiago Peña, has set as its main objective in terms of infrastructure to provide Paraguay with large-scale projects and to seek new markets for our producers, which will have an extraordinary impact on the lives of our people. Therefore, the areas of transportation, food security, cybersecurity, Technology, education and renewable energy represent a priority for Paraguay, since cooperation with the United Arab Emirates will bring great benefit to our country, due to the great commitment assumed by our governments to promote projects necessary for the social and economic development of the country, in addition to the long experience and the important financial power and system of the United Arab Emirates, which makes, for example, the Abu Dhabi Investment Fund one of the most important Funds in the world, which represents a great opportunity for us for cooperation.
How does Paraguay position itself as a trade partner for the UAE, and what unique products or services does the country offer?
We are currently laying a solid foundation to become a trade partner of the UAE, especially in the food sector, as our country is a major producer of high-quality food and we can feed more than 100 million people, in full compliance with environmental protection policies, where the energy produced by my country is from a clean and renewable source. With our Emirati brothers, we are determined to advance in a relationship of trust and mutual benefit, within the framework of a policy of complementarity, where the export of the food products we produce represents one of our priorities for the United Arab Emirates market as an export and distribution center for the entire Gulf region and Asian countries. To this end, we will promote business alliances within the framework of food security promoted by the United Arab Emirates government. As a country, we aspire to have a privileged position in the free trade zone in Abu Dhabi or Dubai, as it will allow us to compete on better terms, offering high-quality food to countries in the region and at competitive prices.
What initiatives are being taken to promote Paraguayan culture and tourism within the UAE?
Within the framework of the strategic plan presented at the National Congress of the Republic of Paraguay, we are going to hold, for the first time, the first Paraguayan cultural week in Abu Dhabi, with the participation of all the institutions of our country, as well as artisans, artists, musicians, gastronomy specialists, academics, businessmen, etc. and in coordination with the Emirati government. We are also working on exchange programs between academics and university students, as well as cooperation in scientific research and university scholarships and business forums, which will promote and foster the tourism industry between Paraguay and the United Arab Emirates.
How is Paraguay engaging with the UAE in terms of investment, particularly in sectors like agriculture, technology, and renewable energy?
Investment and trade are of utmost importance to our government, and the United Arab Emirates has extraordinary potential in this area, where attracting Emirati investments to Paraguay represents one of the priorities of our management and our mission, where Paraguay offers an ideal business climate, since thanks to the State policies undertaken by Paraguay in the last 20 years, we have consolidated ourselves in terms of macroeconomic stability, politics and legal security, in addition to the unique tax advantages in Latin America, which allowed us to obtain the desired investment grade, and today Paraguay is established as a safe country to attract foreign direct investment. As I described above, the areas of transportation, food security, cybersecurity, technology, education and renewable energy represent a priority for Paraguay. For all the above and taking into consideration the political and diplomatic agenda between Paraguay and the United Arab Emirates, I can affirm that our Emirati brothers are on the path to undertake investments in several projects of great impact in Paraguay.
“Transportation, food security, cybersecurity, technology, education and renewable energy represent a priority for Paraguay.”
Finally, relations between Paraguay and the United Arab Emirates are following a historic path towards progress, strengthening their ties of friendship and mutual cooperation, within the framework of the strategic alliance that today unites our two governments, under the humanistic leadership of His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, President of the United Arab Emirates and the President of the Republic of Paraguay, H.E. Santiago Peña, who honored me as Ambassador, and whom I thank immensely for his trust and constant support for the success of my mission. I take this opportunity to thank the Emirati government for its support and trust in Paraguay.
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