Mexican diplomat Alicia Bárcena has ended her tenure as Executive Secretary of the United Nations Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC) after 14 years in office.
“For nearly 14 years, I have helped bring weight, impact and opportunity to the shifting, progressive and egalitarian beliefs that distinguish contemporary thinking from ECLAC,” Bárcena said during a ceremony offered in her honor, conducted in became a hybrid route from the headquarters of Regional Commission in Santiago de Chile.
Bárcena took over the post of Maximum Representative of the United Nations Organization on July 1, 2008. She was appointed to the position by then United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon.becomes the first woman to exercise it.
Since taking over the Executive Secretariat of ECLAC, Bárcena has emphasized the central role of gender equality in strengthening a style of development that combines economic growth, social inclusion and environmental sustainability.
In the words of UN Secretary-General António Guterres, Alicia Bárcena has led “a progressive and visionary government”.
“It was one of the first at the UN to enshrine equality in its many manifestationsincluding gender equality, as a cornerstone of sustainable development and in highlighting the specific challenges of middle-income countries,” added Guterres.
Initiatives that mark his legacy include the Comprehensive Development Plan for El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras and South-Southeast Mexico as a commitment to addressing the structural causes of migration; the Sanitary Self-Sufficiency Plan for Latin America and the Caribbean; the Caribbean First Initiative (“Caribbean First”); and the Regional Convention on Access to Information, Public Participation and Access to Justice in Environmental Matters in Latin America and the Caribbean (Escazú Convention).
By decision of the Secretary General of the United Nations, Bárcena will be replaced on an interim basis by the Argentine economist from April 1st Mario Cimolwho has been deputy managing director of ECLAC since 2018.
In mid-January, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (SRE) announced that Alicia Bárcena will head the Matías Romero Institute, Mexico’s diplomatic academy, when she completes her tenure at ECLAC.
Current President Andrés Manuel López Obrador had offered Bárcena Ibarra to head the SRE at the start of his cabinet, but the diplomat had not publicly accepted the post.
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