Doing Business With Paraguay

World Trade Center-Kansas City and the IRC invite you to join us for an intimate conversation with H.E. José Antonio Dos Santos, Ambassador of Paraguay to the United States and Counselor Sebastian Ortiz head of the Trade and Economic Affairs' Office in the Embassy of Paraguay to the United States of America. Counselor Ortiz oversees Paraguay's relationship with the USTR, Treasury, and the USDA (FSIS/APHIS), as well as the World Bank, the IADB and the IMF. 
  
This exclusive business roundtable will highlight the available opportunities, industry outlooks, and best practices for business success between Kansas City and Paraguay. This program will not be recorded or livestreamed.

About the Ambassador

José Antonio Dos Santos (born May 29, 1964) is the Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Republic of Paraguay to the United States of America, appointed in June, 2021. 

Ambassador Dos Santos is a career diplomat. He entered the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Paraguay in 1992. He has held several positions during his extensive career: Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs (2019-2021), Director General of Multilateral Policy (2015-2019), Vice Minister (2006-2009), Director General of Consular Affairs (1999-2001), among other positions.

In the foreign service, he has served as Permanent Representative of Paraguay to the United Nations in New York (2009-2014), Consul General in Los Angeles (2002-2006), Minister-Chargé d'Affaires at the Embassy of Paraguay in Canada (1997- 1998) and Consul General in New York (1993-1997). Ambassador Dos Santos has a law degree from the National University of Asunción and a Master's degree in International Law (LLM) from The American University. 

He is fluent in Spanish and English.

About the Counselor

Counselor Sebastian Ortiz is a career member of Paraguay's foreign service. He currently serves as the head of the Trade and Economic Affairs' Office in the Embassy of Paraguay to the United States of America, where he oversees Paraguay's relationship with the USTR, Treasury, and the USDA (FSIS/APHIS), as well as the World Bank, the IADB and the IMF. Prior to joining the Embassy, Mr. Ortiz was Director for Economic Integration at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and before that, Director for Multilateral Economic Organizations at the same institution. Mr. Ortiz previous overseas posting was at the Permanent Representation of Paraguay to the World Trade Organization in Geneva, Switzerland. 
 
Mr. Ortiz has a B.A. in Economics from the Catholic University of Asunción and a MSc in International Political Economy (IPE) from the London School of Economics in the United Kingdom. He is also a graduate of the "Carlos Antonio López" Paraguayan Diplomatic Academy and of the ISEN, Argentina's Foreign Service Institute.

Additional Location Information

The program will take place in the World Trade Center Conference Room on the second floor in the southwest corner of Union Station (30 W Pershing Rd, Kansas City, MO 64108).

Parking will be validated for those attending the roundtable. Please park in the West Yards Parking Garage. For more information regarding parking at Union Station, please visit this page.