César Gaviria
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| César Gaviria | |
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| In office 1994 – 2004 |
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| Preceded by | João Clemente Baena Soares |
| Succeeded by | Miguel Ángel Rodríguez |
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| In office August 7, 1990 – August 7, 1994 |
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| Preceded by | Virgilio Barco |
| Succeeded by | Ernesto Samper |
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| In office 1987 – 1989 |
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| President | Virgilio Barco |
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| In office 1986 – 1987 |
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| President | Virgilio Barco |
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| Born | March 31, 1947 Pereira, Risaralda, Colombia |
| Birth name | César Augusto Gaviria Trujillo |
| Nationality | Colombian |
| Political party | Liberal |
| Spouse(s) | Ana Milena Muñoz de Gaviria |
| Children | Simón Gaviria Muñoz María Paz Gaviria Muñoz |
| Alma mater | University of the Andes |
| Profession | Economist |
| Religion | Roman Catholic |
César Gaviria Trujillo (born March 31, 1947) is a Colombian politician and a Latin American statesman. He served as President of Colombia from 1990 to 1994, and Secretary General of the Organization of American States from 1994 until 2004.
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[edit] Biography
[edit] Early life
Born in Pereira, Gaviria has been an important figure in Colombian politics for over 30 years. He was first elected to Congress in 1974. He served in Virgilio Barco's government, first as minister of finance and later as minister of the interior.
As a student, Gaviria spent a year as an exchange student in the United States with AFS Intercultural Programs.
Before entering politics, he studied at Universidad de los Andes in the 1960s. He established AIESEC there, and then in 1968 he was elected President of AIESEC in Colombia. This began his public service career.
At 23 he was elected councilman of his hometown in Pereira. Four years later he became Mayor. In 1974 he was elected into the Chamber of Representatives, before rising to the top in 1983. Three years later he became co-chair of the Colombian Liberal Party.
He was the debate chief of Luis Carlos Galán during the latter's 1989 presidential campaign, which was cut short by his violent death. After this tragedy, Gaviria was then proclaimed as the political successor to Galán.
[edit] Presidency
In 1990 he was elected President of the Republic for the Liberal Party. During his government the new constitution was adopted in 1991, and he fought against the Cali drugs cartel and various guerrilla factions.
Under his presidency, the prison La Catedral was built under Pablo Escobar's specifications and Pablo Escobar was imprisoned there, where he continued to control his drug empire, judging and killing inside the prison several crime partners. On July 20, 1992, Pablo Escobar fled the prison after learning that he was going to be moved to a different prison. On December 2, 1993, the notorious druglord was gunned down by Colombian police, a triumph for the Gaviria administration.
[edit] Secretary General of the OAS
In 1994, Gaviria was elected Secretary General of the OAS (his period beginning after the end of his presidential term in August 1994). Reelected in 1999, he has worked extensively on behalf of Latin America; between November 2002 and May 2003, he served as a broker in finding a solution to the internal Venezuelan political crisis between President Hugo Chávez and the opposition.
[edit] Adviser and scholar
After leaving the OAS Gaviria became a founding partner at the international advisory firm The Otun Group, located in New York City providing political risk and strategic advice to corporations, investment professionals and individuals with operations and investments in Latin America.
At the same time Columbia University appointed Gaviria as a Senior Research Scholar for both the School of International and Pubilc Affairs, SIPA and Columbia Business School, where he advised students on topics related to the Western Hemisphere.
[edit] Current
Returning to Colombia in early 2005 after several visits in late 2004, Gaviria once again became active in politics, and was proclaimed as the sole chief of the Colombian Liberal Party in June 2005.
On April 27, 2006, his sister Liliana Gaviria was killed by unknown gunmen. Apparently Liliana was coming home in her car when several people in a red Mazda 626 intercepted her and her bodyguard. It is believed that the gunmen tried to kidnap her and in an exchange of fire with the bodyguard she received a shot to her heart (through the abdomen). Her body, which also presented a head bruise, was recovered 3 kilometers away from her house alongside a car. President Álvaro Uribe has offered 1,000,000,000 pesos (around 350,000 euros, or 500,000 USD) for any information regarding the location of the persons responsible for her death.
| Colombia's four failed peace talks[1] | ||
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| Year | President | Ended because |
| 1982-1985 | Belisario Betancur | Most Supreme Court Justices were killed when M-19 commandos and the Army fought for control of the building |
| 1986-1990 | Virgilio Barco Vargas | FARC ambush killed 26 soldiers in Caquetá |
| 1990-1992 | César Gaviria Trujillo | FARC attack on the Senate President. FARC kidnapping and killing of an ex-cabinet member. |
| 1998-2002 | Andrés Pastrana Arango | FARC kidnapping of Senator |
Member of the Club of Madrid [2]. [1]
In addition President Gaviria has been involved in activities related to the seas and was featured recently on Vanity Fair Magazine as a member of the NGO Oceana. In Colombia, Gaviria is well known as an art collector, and some years ago, opened his gallery Nueveochenta in Bogotá.
[edit] Notes
- ^ "Why did the Colombia Peace Process Fail?" (PDF). The Tabula Rasa Institute. http://www.trinstitute.org/ojpcr/5_1azcarate.pdf. Retrieved 2006-02-26. [PDF file]
[edit] Sources
| Diplomatic posts | ||
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| Preceded by João Clemente Baena Soares |
Secretary General of the Organization of American States 1994-2004 |
Succeeded by Miguel Ángel Rodríguez |
