“Historical. Laura Gil was chosen by the OAS as attached general secretary of this organization. His mandate will begin on July 17 and will extend until 2030, ”said the presidency in his X account.
Gil, who competed with the Peruvian Ana María Sánchez and the Guatemalan Claudia Escobar, was chosen in Washington in a second round of voting, obtaining the support of 19 Member States, thus reaching the absolute majority.
«For the first time a woman representative of Colombia arrives at this position. His designation recognizes an exemplary trajectory to the service of democracy, human rights and regional integration, ”added the Colombian presidency.
The Colombian president, Gustavo Petro, also celebrated Gil’s election, which defined as “a great victory of Colombia in the OAS (…) with the great ambassador Laura Gil.”
“Latin American progressivism triumphs and Colombia begins its transformation open to the world,” Petro added in a message in his X account.
For its part, the Ombudsman’s Office described Gil’s election as “a firm step towards equality.”
«Laura Gil has been elected Deputy General Secretary of the OAS with 19 votes. She is the first woman who occupies a position of this level. The parity advances and today we proudly celebrate this achievement that opens paths for all ».
Also the president of the Colombian Chamber of Commerce (Amcham Colombia), María Claudia Lacouture, highlighted in her X account that the choice of diplomat “represents a leadership with vision, experience and hemispheric commitment.”
“His recognized career in the defense of democracy, institutional strengthening and human rights will be essential to address the current challenges of our region,” Lacouture added.
Gil, born in Montevideo and Colombian nationalized, will assume the position for the 2025-2030 period, replacing the Belizeño Nestor Méndez, whose mandate concludes on July 16.
The diplomat will exercise the second highest place in the agency, only behind the Southinames Albert Ramdin, who was elected last March as general secretary replacing the Uruguayan Luis Almagro and became the first Caribbean to lead the OAS.
Gil, 59, is currently a Colombian ambassador to Austria, a position that he has been in 2023, after having served as Vice Chancellor for Multilateral Affairs in the Government of Gustavo Petro. EFE
