(25 July 2011) According to the Executive Secretary of the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC), Alicia Bárcena, speaking to honour the current Ibero-American Secretary-General: "If there is a person committed to development planning for Latin America, it is Enrique V. Iglesias".
From Monday, the main hall of the ECLAC Latin American and Caribbean Institute for Economic and Social Planning (ILPES) will be called the Enrique V. Iglesias Auditorium.
In the hall, Bárcena unveiled a photo and plaque with the name of the man who was Executive Secretary of this United Nations regional commission between 1972 and 1985, and who was also President of ILPES from 1967 to 1972 and Interim Director from 1977 to 1978.
"We want to turn ILPES into the training centre for Latin American youth" stated the Executive Secretary, who highlighted the contribution of Iglesias to ECLAC and to the region's economic and social development in general.
The ceremony was part of the International Seminar on State and Development, which was opened today by the ECLAC Executive Secretary and Uruguayan economist Iglesias, to whom the seminar was also dedicated. The seminar was attended by government authorities, senior officials from regional and international agencies and renowned academics.
Having graduated in Economics and Administration from the University of Montevideo in 1953, Iglesias held senior posts in his country's government and various bodies of the Inter-American system and the United Nations.
Between 1967 and 1969, he was President of the Central Bank of Uruguay, and on 27 March 1972 he was appointed Executive Secretary of ECLAC, first as United Nations Assistant Secretary-General, and later with the rank of Under Secretary-General
Between 1985 and 1988 he was Uruguay's Foreign Minister and, between 1988 and 2005 he was President of the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), headquartered in Washington. Since 2005, he has been Secretary-General of the Ibero-American Secretariat (SEGIB).
Iglesias, who was born in Asturias, Spain, has written many articles and essays on Latin American development. He has also received countless honorary academic titles and professional awards.
Any queries should be addressed to the ECLAC Public Information and Web Services Section. E-mail: dpisantiago@cepal.org; Telephone: (56 2) 210 2040.
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