He currently serves as Head of the Multi-Country Office for the Andean Region and the Southern Cone in the Latin America and the Caribbean Division of the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) of the United Nations, based in Lima, Peru, since October 2022. In this role, he is responsible for the strategic and programmatic management of IFAD’s investment portfolio in his region, as well as for ensuring the mainstreaming of priority rural development issues, including Indigenous Peoples, women’s empowerment, rural youth, and climate action.

Prior to his assignment in Peru, he was appointed in 2018 as Head of the Office for Mexico, Central America and the Caribbean in IFAD’s Latin America and the Caribbean Division, based in Panama.

He joined IFAD in 2016 after 20 years with the Spanish Agency for International Development Cooperation (AECID), where he served as General Coordinator and Resident Representative in Bolivia, Cuba, and Peru, as well as Programme Officer for Rural Development in Argentina, Ecuador, and Honduras.

Juan Diego Ruiz holds a PhD in Economic Growth and Sustainable Development from the Complutense Institute for International Studies in Madrid (Spain); a Master’s degree in One Health from the University of Edinburgh (United Kingdom); and a Bachelor’s degree in Veterinary Sciences (specializing in Medicine and Health) from the University of Córdoba (Spain). He has authored several academic papers and articles on international development cooperation.