Alicia Bárcena, who works as executive secretary of the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC), announced that she will leave her position at the head of the international organization in March 2022.
During her 13-year tenure, the Mexican official emphasized equality to promote the development of the region.
The announcement took place during the meeting at the United Nations headquarters of the thirty-sixth session of the Committee of the Whole of ECLAC and the agreement for his departure was made together with the UN Secretary-General, António Guterres, according to the international official.
Guterres highlighted that Bárcena has consolidated as a progressive and visionary deploying her work with stellar leadership, articulating the most diverse Latin American and Caribbean actors, including heads of state, local communities, academia, civil society organizations, and multilateral institutions.
“She was one of the first at the UN to place equality in its many manifestations, including gender equality, as a cornerstone of sustainable development and to highlight the specific challenges of middle-income countries,” Guterres noted in her speech at gratitude for Bárcena’s years of service.
The Mexican diplomat and lawyer assumed the post on July 1, 2008, being appointed by the then Secretary-General of the United Nations, Ban Ki-moon, becoming the first woman to practice in the 60-year history of ECLAC.
Source: SIPSE
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