Emilio O. Rabasa Mishkin

Emilio Óscar Rabasa Mishkin earned his law degree and doctorate at UNAM. He worked in public finance and directed the Banco Nacional Cinematográfico before moving into senior diplomacy. His Washington appointment in 1970 was brief: within the same year, President Luis Echeverría selected him as foreign secretary, an office he held until 1975. ^{1, 2}

As foreign secretary, Rabasa promoted the UN Charter of Economic Rights and Duties of States and the development of the exclusive economic zone in maritime law. His ministry established the Matías Romero Institute and provided a permanent home for Mexico's diplomatic historical archive. He resigned in December 1975 after differences with the president. ³

Rabasa continued a substantial academic and legal career. He helped develop doctoral studies at UNAM, taught state theory and comparative law, and became a researcher at the university's Institute of Legal Research. He also served on the Inter-American Juridical Committee and Mexico's group at the Permanent Court of Arbitration. His work on constitutional law included scholarship and public education, and the Mexican Senate honored his contribution to constitutionalism in 1998. ²