Jorge Berguno, a Chilean diplomat known for his expertise on Antarctica, died May 8, 2011. He was 82.

Berguno obtained his first degree from the Catholic University in Chile in 1954. In 1957, he earned an M.P.A. from the Woodrow Wilson School at Princeton. A decade later, he received a Ph.D. in international relations from the American University in Washington, D.C.

He joined the Chilean Ministry of Foreign Affairs in 1953. His posts included being ambassador to UNESCO and permanent representative to GATT. Berguno was also Chile’s ambassador to Australia, Canada, the UN’s office in Geneva, and the Conference on Disarmament.

Berguno played a significant role in the negotiations for the Convention on the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources (1980), the Protocol on the Protection of the Antarctic Environment (1990), and the extended negotiations over liability for damage to the Antarctic environment (2005). As a senior diplomat for one of the several countries with claims to parts of the Antarctic, he was regarded as the consummate diplomat.

Berguno is survived by his wife, Paula Hurtado; and five children.

Graduate memorials are prepared by the APGA.


Graduate Class of 1957