GALLERY OF FORMER PERMANENT SECRETARIES

Jaime MoncayoEcuadorean economist (1975-1979)

First Permanent Secretary of SELA, a position he held until 1979. Upon his return to Ecuador, he was appointed a member of the Advisory Board of Foreign Affairs.

From 1988 to 1992 he was Ambassador of Ecuador to the United States of America.

In 1998, he was a member of the Bi-national Commission for Ecuador-Peru border integration, serving the following year as Ecuadorean coordinator of the Bi-national Commission for Implementation of the Ecuador-Peru border integration Agreement.

At present, Dr. Moncayo is a renowned international consultant, university professor and international lecturer. 

Carlos AlzamoraPeruvian diplomat (1979-1983)

Ambassador Carlos Alzamora has had a long career in the Peruvian Foreign Service. He has been ambassador to the United States, and to several Latin American and European countries. Alzamora has represented his country at various regional and international forums.

He served as Deputy Secretary of Economic Affairs and Integration of the Peruvian Foreign Ministry, Negotiator of the Andean Group, Alternate to Executive Director of the World Bank, Deputy UN Secretary General, and Chief Adviser to the Negotiation of the Free Trade Agreement between Peru and the United States.

Sebastián AlegrettVenezuelan economist (1983-1987)

Renowned economist, professor and Venezuelan diplomat. He graduated with honors at the Universidad Central de Venezuela and had a PhD in Planning, Law and Political Science from the University of Paris. 

He served as Permanent Representative of Venezuela to the OAS, President of the Foreign Trade Institute of Venezuela, and Ambassador to Colombia and Brazil.

He was the Chief Negotiator for the entry of Venezuela into the Andean Group, and represented his country at ALADI, OAS and other multilateral organizations.

He was a postgraduate studies professor at the Universidad Central de Venezuela and Universidad Católica Andrés Bello (Caracas, Venezuela), as well as international lecturer.

Alegrett died in Lima, Peru on 7 August 2002, while serving as Secretary-General of the Andean Community (CAN).

Carlos Pérez del CastilloUruguayan diplomat (1987-1991)

He was Permanent Representative of Uruguay to the United Nations, the World Trade Organization and other international organizations based in Geneva, Switzerland from March 1998 through February 2004.

During that period, he presided over the vast majority of the main WTO organs, including: the General Council, the Dispute Settlement Body; the Trade-related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS) Council; the Trade in Goods Council, the Regional Agreements Committee and the Working Group for the accession of Algeria. He was the Vice Chairman of UNCTAD X, Coordinator of the G-77 and the Latin American and Caribbean Group, and member of the Advisory Body of UNCTAD from 2001 to 2004. He also chaired the Geneva Diplomatic Committee during the period 2001-2002.

Salvador ArriolaMexican economist and diplomat (1991-1995

He studied economics at the Autonomous Technological Institute of Mexico (1967-1971) and majored in Multilateral Trade Negotiations in the GATT in Geneva, Switzerland (1973).

He was Director-General of the General Direction of International Financial Affairs of his country.

In 1990, he was appointed Ambassador of Mexico to the Eastern Republic of Uruguay and Permanent Representative of Mexico to ALADI. In October 1991, he was elected Permanent Secretary of SELA, a position he held until October 1995. In January 1996, he was appointed Ambassador of Mexico to the Republic of Guatemala, a position he held until February 2001.

At present, Arriola holds the position of Secretary for Ibero-American Cooperation (SEGIB). Also he is an international lecturer.

Carlos MonetaArgentinean internationalist (1995-1999)

PhD in International Relations and Social Sciences.

Founder and coordinator of the “Latin American and Caribbean Studies Network on Asia-Pacific”.

Moneta has actively participated in the Ibero-American Summits, dealing with the Latin American economic model.

He has authored several books on the economic and social reality in Latin America and the Caribbean.

At present, he is an international consultant and lecturer.

Otto Boye SotoChilean lawyer and diplomat (1999-2003)

Political Adviser of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Chile and delegate to the United Nations General Assemblies.

Chilean delegate to the Third Special Conference of the OAS.

Scientific Attaché of the Embassy of Chile in Germany, Ambassador of Chile in Venezuela and Concurrent Ambassador to Trinidad and Tobago.

He has also worked as a professor and journalist. Since 1993, Boye was a member of the Scientific Committee of the International Institute “Jacques Maritain”, based in Rome, until his death (Limache, Quinta Región, Chile. 03 August 2014).

Roberto GuarnieriVenezuelan economist (2003-2006)

Ambassador Guarnieri was President of the Latin American Reserve Fund (FLAR). He was Vice President of the Andean Development Corporation (CAF), and Alternate to Executive Director of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank (WB); Chief Director of the Central Bank of Venezuela (BCV) and Director of the Venezuelan Investment Fund.

He resigned from the post of Permanent Secretary in October 2006, after he was appointed by the government of Venezuela to occupy for the second time the position of Executive Director of the International Monetary Fund (IMF).

Floria Caricote LoveraVenezuelan lawyer (October 2006-April 2008)

Ms. Caricote was at the helm of the organization body during the period from 1 November 2006 to 1 April 2008, to complete the term started by Roberto Guarnieri.

She was Director of Legal Services of the Ministry of Economy and Finance of the BolivarianRepublic of Venezuela, and General Director of Public Credit of that Ministry.

She passed away in Caracas, Venezuela, on 21 March 2009.

José Rivera Banuet Mexican Economist 2008-2013)

He was Permanent Secretary of SELA from April 2008 to January 2013. Previously, from 1988 to 1993, he worked in the organization as Deputy Director of Economic Relations, as well as a Special Adviser.

From 2005 to 2008 he was Undersecretary of the Latin American Association for Integration (ALADI), based in Montevideo, Uruguay.

From 2002 to 2005, he held the post of Director of the Programme on Globalization, Liberalization and Sustainable Human Development (UNDP- UNCTAD). Previously, he worked as Inter-regional Adviser to UNCTAD in Geneva, Switzerland. At present, Ambassador Rivera is an International Adviser