Delia Albert

Delia Domingo Albert (born August 11, 1942) is a Filipina career diplomat who served as the first female and 23rd Philippine Secretary of Foreign Affairs from December 22, 2003 to August 18, 2004. She was also the first woman career diplomat to serve as foreign minister of a Southeast Asian country.

Career Albert received a bachelor's degree in international relations from the University of the Philippines Diliman before studying at a number of institutions overseas including the Graduate Institute of International and Development Studies in Geneva and Harvard Kennedy School at Harvard University.

Albert's career in the Department of Foreign Affairs began as an Assistant in the Office of the Secretary of Foreign Affairs in 1967. In 1969 Albert began serving in various capacities in Filipino diplomatic missions abroad: at the delegation to the United Nations in Geneva, Switzerland (1969–1975), at the Philippine Embassy in Bucharest in Romania which also managed Filipino relations with Hungary and East Germany (1975–1980), and at the Philippine Embassy in Bonn in West Germany (1982–1990).

Albert was appointed Knight Commander Cross of the Order of Merit with Star of the Federal Republic of Germany in 1992 for her efforts in promoting Philippine relations with Germany as well as relations between ASEAN and the European Union. She served as Director-General of the ASEAN National Secretariat of the Philippines. In January 2004, President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo conferred on her the Order of Sikatuna, with the rank of Datu, for her exceptional and meritorious services to the Republic of the Philippines. Albert also speaks German, French, Romanian, Spanish and Japanese.