On June 25, the Victims of Communism Memorial Foundation hosted a virtual conversation with His Excellency Luis Almagro, Secretary General, Organization of American States.
About the Speaker
His Excellency Luis Almagro is the Secretary General for the Organization of American States. Almagro was re-elected for a second term as Secretary General of the OAS on March 20, 2020. He was first elected as Secretary General of the OAS on March 18, 2015, with the support of 33 of the 34 member states and one abstention. Upon taking up the leadership of the OAS, he announced that the central theme of his administration would be “more rights for more people” and that he would work “to be the voice of the voiceless.” His priority at the helm of the General Secretariat is to put the Organization in touch with people’s needs and the new realities in the Hemisphere, as well as helping to ensure greater democracy, more rights, more security, and more development and prosperity for all. A career diplomat, he has extensive regional and international experience. Almagro was his country’s foreign minister from March 1, 2010, to March 1, 2015. Under his tenure, Uruguay set new records for exports year after year. He also defined several landmark initiatives of President José Mujíca’s government that put the country on the global map. Almagro was also ambassador to China for three years, after occupying senior diplomatic posts in his country’s foreign ministry and at its embassies in Germany and Iran. In addition, he was elected as a senator in Uruguay’s national elections in October 2014. Almagro is a lawyer by profession and has seven children. Apart from Spanish, he speaks English and French.
