CUMIPAZ

Luis Almagro Lemes was elected Secretary General of the OAS on March 18, 2015, with the unanimous support of 33 of the 34 Member States, with one abstention. In assuming the leadership of the OAS, he announced that one of the main axes of his administration will be "more rights for more people" and that he will work to bring the Organization closer to the new reality of the hemisphere and thus contribute to guaranteeing more democracy, More prosperity for all.

Diplomat of career, Almagro was chancellor of his country between 2010 until the 1 of March of 2015. He has extensive regional and international experience. In addition, he was elected senator in the national elections of Uruguay in October of 2014.

His management at the forefront of Uruguayan diplomacy was characterized by activism in defense of Human and Civil Rights at a regional and global level, the insertion of Uruguay in non-traditional markets, the diversification of the same, and the strengthening of the country seal, as a democratic, just, tolerant, diverse society, with more and more rights for more Uruguayans.

As chancellor of former President José Mujica, he made several emblematic initiatives that put the small South American country on the global map. From receiving in Uruguayan territory several detainees from the prison of Guantánamo, to welcoming dozens of Syrian families, civilians victim of the conflict of that country, through receiving the support of the United Nations so that from 2016, Uruguay forms part of the Council of Security.

Uruguay's presence in Haiti was also maintained to ensure the country's reconstruction process following the devastating 2010 earthquake took place.

Aware of the new regional alignments, Almagro was an active participant in the consolidation of UNASUR and CELAC and as a member of UNASUR's special delegation to Venezuela in 2014 he was recognized as a promoter of dialogue between government and opposition to stop the violence of that momen

Articulator of consensuses in the region and at the same time the impeller of innovative initiatives, during his management it was possible to concretize the longed - for decades – entrance of citrus products from the US, a key market for this sector, while cooperation programs were deployed In scientific and technical innovation areas.

For its part, Uruguay developed specific development cooperation programs with Bolivia, Paraguay and several African nations within the framework of the vision of international solidarity that characterized the management of the former chancellor.

In addition, the Secretary General of the OAS served as ambassador to the People's Republic of China for five years after holding diplomatic posts in the country's own Chancellery and in the diplomatic representations of Uruguay in Germany and Iran.

In 2014 the Foreign Policy magazine chose him as Global Thinker, being one of the ten decision-makers in the region selected by that publication to receive that international distinction.

Almagro, also a lawyer by profession, is married and has 7 children. Besides Spanish, he speaks English and French.