MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

ECLAC honours Uruguayan economist and banker Enrique Iglesias

Iglesias, a person committed to the development of Latin America

The United Nations Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean, ECLAC, held a ceremony in its Santiago de Chile headquarters to honour Enrique Iglesias, the Uruguayan economist who was executive secretary of the commission from 1972 to 1985 and is currently, Secretary-General of the Ibero-American Secretariat.

“If there is a person committed to development planning for Latin America that is Enrique V. Iglesias” said Alicia Bárcena the current Eclac Executive secretary who announced that as of this week the main hall of the commission’s Institute for Economic and Social Planning (ILPES) will be called the Enrique V. Iglesias Auditorium.

During the ceremony, Ms Bárcena unveiled a photo and plaque with the name of the man who was Executive Secretary of ECLAC for thirteen years and 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” said Ms Bárcena who highlighted the contribution of Iglesias to ECLAC and to the region's economic and social development.

The ceremony was part of the international seminar on State and Development, which was opened Monday by Ms Bárcena and 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.

From 1967 to 1969, he was President of Uruguay’s Central Bank 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 Iglesias was Uruguay's Foreign Affairs Minister and from 1988 to 2005 President of the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), headquartered in Washington. Since 2005, he has been Secretary-General of the Ibero-American Secretariat.

Iglesias, who was born in Asturias, Spain, and migrated to Uruguay with his family as a child has written many articles and essays on Latin American development. He has also received countless honorary academic titles and professional awards.