Born 11 November 1953 in Veguitas, Barinas, Venezuela, H.E. Jesus Arnaldo Perez holds a degree in Geography from the University of Toulouse II (1982), a postgraduate degree in Tropical Geography, Ecology and Development from the University of Bordeaux III (1983), a postgraduate degree in Applied Remote Sensing from the University of Paris VI Pierre and Marie Curie (1985), and a Ph.D. in Geography with a major in Rural Development from the University of Toulouse II (1994). He has worked on a wide variety of fronts over the course of his prestigious career. He has been an environmental advisor for petroleum exploration in Venezuela, as well as a researcher and environmental cooperation project manager with various NGOs in both France and Latin America. He has been a lecturer at the University of Toulouse I, University of Toulouse II, and University of Toulouse III, and has also taught at the Toulouse College of Agriculture. He was a guest lecturer at Alcala de Nerares University in Madrid, where he taught courses on the digital processing of satellite images as part of a Master’s program in cartography and data processing systems. He has also worked as a technical translator specializing in remote sensing (digital image processing software and articles in trade journals). He has also held the duties of Special Advisor to Mayor’s Office of the State of Portuguesa, in charge of environmental matters. He was Venezuela’s Minister for the Environment and Natural Resources (1999- 2000), Ambassador of Venezuela to Algeria (2001-02), and Ambassador to France and Permanent Delegate to UNESCO (2002-04). He was appointed to serve as his country’s Minister for Foreign Affairs in 2004, then took up the duties of Ambassador of Venezuela to Canada (2005-06). He has also attended a variety of conferences and training courses, and has written numerous articles and books. H.E. Jesus Arnaldo Perez presented his credentials as the Ambassador of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela to France on 13 October 2006.