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Latin American Council of SELA elects new Permanent Secretary
Caracas, 31 March 2008 – The Latin American Council of the Latin
American and Caribbean Economic System (SELA) gathered in Caracas on Monday
to elect by acclamation Mexican economist José Rivera Banuet as new
Permanent Secretary of the organization for the period 2008-2012.
The election was made during the XI Special Meeting of the Latin American
Council of SELA, the supreme decision-making organ of this intergovernmental
organization that groups together 26 Latin American and Caribbean countries.
Rivera Banuet will succeed Venezuelan lawyer and Ambassador Floria Caricote
Lovera, who will hand over the position as Permanent Secretary to him on
Wednesday 2 April of this year.
Economist Rivera Banuet has a broad experience working as official in
regional and multilateral economic organizations.
The Permanent Secretary elect thanked the Member States for their confidence
in entrusting him with the task of directing the Permanent Secretariat of
SELA, which is a major professional challenge and commitment for him.
“I am convinced that SELA has done an outstanding service to Latin
America and the Caribbean over the last three decades and that its
contributions have been an example of organization for other regions and for
all of the developing countries”, Rivera Banuet said.
“Based on this conviction, I will make efforts to strengthen, give more
relevance and regain trust in SELA, which will allow all the governments to
undertake through the organization an effective work for the benefit of all
of our countries”, he added.
The new Permanent Secretary stressed that in the next few days he will
submit to the Member States the guidelines for action that will be followed
for the future work of the organization, and which can be summarized in the
objective of making of SELA an organization that is able to fully comply
with the commendable goals set forth in the Panama Convention.
This Special Meeting was attended by the Minister of Foreign Relations and
Cult of Haiti, Rénald Clérismé, the Head of the Unit for Economic Relations
and International Cooperation of the Secretariat of Foreign Relations of
Mexico, Luz María de la Mora, as well as the Ambassadors of the Member
States and Heads of Delegations, who supported the election of the new
Permanent Secretary.
The Chairman of the Bureau of the Latin American Council, Uruguayan
Ambassador Gerónimo Cardoso, expressed his satisfaction with the election of
Rivera Banuet and thanked Ambassador Caricote Lovera for her efforts and
dedication during her successful management at the helm of the organization.
“SELA requires a profound revitalization, so that Member States can
understand the potential of this organization to generate common policies
that can help us to attain a better position as a region vis-à-vis the blocs
that have emerged in the wake of globalization”, he said.
For her part, Ambassador Caricote Lovera congratulated the new Permanent
Secretary, Dr. Rivera Banuet, and thanked SELA’s staff for their
collaboration and support in performing her tasks at the helm of the
regional organization.
She also stated that SELA needs the firm support of its Member States and
urged them to give the organization their financial and political support so
that it can comply with all its activities.
The others issues included in the agenda for the meeting – i.e., the
proposal for regularization of the Member States’ debt with the Permanent
Secretariat and the update of the regulations for elections at SELA – were
postponed for discussion during the next regular of the Latin American
Council, scheduled to be held in November of this year.
Established in 1975, SELA is an intergovernmental organization with
headquarters in Caracas, whose purpose is to increase the bargaining power
of Latin America and the Caribbean at the international level and to
contribute to its Member States’ development through consultation,
coordination and cooperation.
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http://www.sela.org
sela@sela.org
SELA, Permanent Secretariat
Torre Europa, Fourth floor, Urb. Campo Alegre, Av Francisco de Miranda,
Caracas 1060- Venezuela
Tlf: (58) (212) 955.71.11 Fax: (58) (212) 951.52.92
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