An accomplished diplomat who traces his roots to Virac, Catanduanes received the 2026 UPAA Distinguished Alumni Award in Good Governance (International Justice) from the University of the Philippines Alumni Association last week.
Ambassador Sorreta, the son of Col. Jose C. Sorreta Sr. (ret.) and Filomena Deymek Sorreta of Virac, Catanduanes, is currently the Philippine Permanent Representative to the United Nations in Geneva.
A career diplomat and a member of the Philippine Bar, he was formerly Undersecretary for Foreign Affairs, Assistant Secretary for American Affairs and Director-General of the Foreign Service Institute.
His foreign assignments were Ambassador to Russia and non-resident Ambassador to Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan and Ukraine, Deputy Chief of Mission at the Philippine Embassy in Washington DC, and Deputy Permanent Representative at the Philippine Permanent Mission to the United Nations in New York.
He is currently the Chair of the Assembly of the United Nations World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) after heading several other UN bodies, including the Meeting of States Parties of the Convention on Cluster Munitions, the UN Human Rights Social Forum, the Meeting of States Parties of the Convention Against Torture, and the Special Committee on the Charter of the United Nations and on the Strengthening of the Role of the Organization
The only Filipino to have represented the Philippines before both the International Court of Justice (ICJ) and the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea (ITLOS), Sorreta has negotiated several bilateral and multilateral agreements and appeared before the US Congress on behalf of Filipino WWII veterans.
He has taught international law, international relations and diplomacy in several Philippine universities and colleges and is currently a member of the Technical Panel on Political Science of the Commission on Higher Education (CHED).
The Philippine Government has given him the Gawad Mabini Award (twice) as well as the Order of Lakandula, while the Russian Government has given him the medal for International Cooperation.
He also received a Certificate of Recognition from the UP College of Law for his work in diplomacy and international law.