César Gaviria
Encyclopedia
César Gaviria Trujillo is a Colombia
n 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.
, 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 the city's mayor. In 1974 he was elected into the Chamber of Representatives
, of which he was president in the 1984-985 period. Three years later he became co-chair of the Colombian Liberal Party.
He was the debate chief of Luis Carlos Galán
during Galan's 1989 presidential campaign, which was cut short by Galan's assesination. After this tragedy, Gaviria was then proclaimed as Galan's political successor.
. During his government a new constitution
was adopted in 1991. As president, Gaviria also led the fight 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 Escobar 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 drug lord was gunned down by Colombian police, a triumph for the Gaviria administration.
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 worked extensively on behalf of Latin America. Between October 2002 and May 2003, he served personally as international facilitator of the OAS mesa process aimed at finding a solution to the internal Venezuela
n political crisis between President Hugo Chávez
and the Coordinadora Democrática
opposition, moving to Caracas
for six months to do so.
At the same time Columbia University appointed Gaviria as a Senior Research Scholar for both the School of International and Public Affairs, SIPA and Columbia Business School, where he advised students on topics related to the Western Hemisphere.
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.
Gaviria is a member of the Club of Madrid
, an independent non-profit organization composed of 81 democratic former Presidents and Prime Ministers from 57 different countries.
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.
Colombia
Colombia, officially the Republic of Colombia , is a unitary constitutional republic comprising thirty-two departments. The country is located in northwestern South America, bordered to the east by Venezuela and Brazil; to the south by Ecuador and Peru; to the north by the Caribbean Sea; to the...
n politician and a Latin American statesman. He served as President of Colombia from 1990 to 1994, and Secretary General
Secretary General of the Organization of American States
According to the Charter of the Organization of American States:-Secretaries General of the OAS:-Assistant Secretaries General of the OAS:*William Manger *William Sanders...
of the Organization of American States
Organization of American States
The Organization of American States is a regional international organization, headquartered in Washington, D.C., United States...
from 1994 until 2004.
Early life
Born in PereiraPereira, Colombia
Pereira is the capital city of the Colombian department of Risaralda. It stands in the center of the western region of the country, located in a small valley that descends from a part of the western Andes mountain chain. Its strategic location in the coffee producing area makes the city an urban...
, Gaviria has been an important figure in Colombian politics for over 30 years. He was first elected to Congress
Congress of Colombia
The Congress of the Republic of Colombia is the name given to Colombia's bicameral national legislature.The Congress of Colombia consists of the 102-seat Senate , and the 166-seat Chamber of Representatives ...
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
AFS Intercultural Programs
AFS Intercultural Programs was established in 1915 by A. Piatt Andrew, a onetime economics professor at Harvard University and former U.S. Assistant Secretary of the Treasury...
.
Before entering politics, he studied at Universidad de los Andes
University of the Andes, Colombia
The University of the Andes , is a coeducational, nonsectarian private university located in city centre Bogotá, Colombia. Founded in 1948, the University has 9 faculties: Administration, Architecture and Design, Arts and Humanities, Sciences, Social Sciences, Law, Economics, Engineering and...
in the 1960s. He established AIESEC
AIESEC
AIESEC is a global youth organisation that develops leadership capabilities through their internal leadership programmes and engaging students and graduates in international student exchange and internship programmes for profit and non-profit organisations. Its international office is in...
there, and then in 1968 he was elected President of AIESEC
AIESEC
AIESEC is a global youth organisation that develops leadership capabilities through their internal leadership programmes and engaging students and graduates in international student exchange and internship programmes for profit and non-profit organisations. Its international office is in...
in Colombia. This began his public service career.
At 23 he was elected councilman of his hometown in Pereira. Four years later he became the city's mayor. In 1974 he was elected into the Chamber of Representatives
Chamber of Representatives of Colombia
The Chamber of Representatives is the lower house of the Congress of Colombia.The Chamber has 166 elected members for four-year terms.-How the Chamber is elected:...
, of which he was president in the 1984-985 period. Three years later he became co-chair of the Colombian Liberal Party.
He was the debate chief of Luis Carlos Galán
Luis Carlos Galán
Luis Carlos Galán Sarmiento was a Colombian journalist and liberal politician who ran for the presidency of Colombia on two occasions, the first time representing the Liberal Party in 1982 which he lost to Belisario Betancur...
during Galan's 1989 presidential campaign, which was cut short by Galan's assesination. After this tragedy, Gaviria was then proclaimed as Galan's political successor.
Presidency
In 1990 he was elected President of Colombia for the Liberal PartyColombian Liberal Party
The Colombian Liberal Party is a center-left party in Colombia that adheres to social democracy and social liberalism.The Party was founded in 1848 and, together with the Colombian Conservative Party, subsequently became one of the two main political forces in the country for over a century.After...
. During his government a new constitution
Constitution
A constitution is a set of fundamental principles or established precedents according to which a state or other organization is governed. These rules together make up, i.e. constitute, what the entity is...
was adopted in 1991. As president, Gaviria also led the fight against the Cali drugs cartel
Cali Cartel
The Cali Cartel was a drug cartel based in southern Colombia, around the city of Cali and the Valle del Cauca Department. The Cali Cartel was founded by the Rodríguez Orejuela brothers, Gilberto and Miguel, as well as associate José Santacruz Londoño...
and various guerrilla factions.
Under his presidency, the prison La Catedral
La Catedral
La Catedral was a prison overlooking the city of Medellín in Colombia. The prison was built to specifications ordered by Medellín Cartel leader Pablo Escobar, under agreement with the Colombian government. Escobar would surrender to authorities, serve a maximum term of five years, and the Colombian...
was built under Pablo Escobar
Pablo Escobar
Pablo Emilio Escobar Gaviria was a Colombian drug lord. He was an elusive cocaine trafficker and rich and successful criminal. He owned numerous luxury residences, automobiles, and even airplanes...
's specifications and Pablo Escobar was imprisoned there, where Escobar 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 drug lord was gunned down by Colombian police, a triumph for the Gaviria administration.
Secretary General of the OAS
Organization of American States
The Organization of American States is a regional international organization, headquartered in Washington, D.C., United States...
(his period beginning after the end of his presidential term in August 1994). Reelected in 1999, he worked extensively on behalf of Latin America. Between October 2002 and May 2003, he served personally as international facilitator of the OAS mesa process aimed at finding a solution to the internal Venezuela
Venezuela
Venezuela , officially called the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela , is a tropical country on the northern coast of South America. It borders Colombia to the west, Guyana to the east, and Brazil to the south...
n political crisis between President Hugo Chávez
Hugo Chávez
Hugo Rafael Chávez Frías is the 56th and current President of Venezuela, having held that position since 1999. He was formerly the leader of the Fifth Republic Movement political party from its foundation in 1997 until 2007, when he became the leader of the United Socialist Party of Venezuela...
and the Coordinadora Democrática
Coordinadora Democrática (Venezuela)
The Coordinadora Democrática was an umbrella group of Venezuelan political parties and organisations opposed to President Hugo Chavez. Founded on 5 July 2002, it was involved in organising the Venezuelan general strike of 2002-2003 and the Venezuelan recall referendum, 2004...
opposition, moving to Caracas
Caracas
Caracas , officially Santiago de León de Caracas, is the capital and largest city of Venezuela; natives or residents are known as Caraquenians in English . It is located in the northern part of the country, following the contours of the narrow Caracas Valley on the Venezuelan coastal mountain range...
for six months to do so.
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 Public Affairs, SIPA and Columbia Business School, where he advised students on topics related to the Western Hemisphere.
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 PartyColombian Liberal Party
The Colombian Liberal Party is a center-left party in Colombia that adheres to social democracy and social liberalism.The Party was founded in 1848 and, together with the Colombian Conservative Party, subsequently became one of the two main political forces in the country for over a century.After...
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
Mazda
is a Japanese automotive manufacturer based in Fuchū, Aki District, Hiroshima Prefecture, Japan.In 2007, Mazda produced almost 1.3 million vehicles for global sales...
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
Abdomen
In vertebrates such as mammals the abdomen constitutes the part of the body between the thorax and pelvis. The region enclosed by the abdomen is termed the abdominal cavity...
). Her body, which also presented a head bruise, was recovered 3 kilometers away from her house alongside a car. President Álvaro Uribe
Álvaro Uribe
Alvaro Uribe Vélez was the 58th President of Colombia, from 2002 to 2010. In August 2010 he was appointed Vice-chairman of the UN panel investigating the Gaza flotilla raid....
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.
Gaviria is a member of the Club of Madrid
Club of Madrid
The Club de Madrid is an independent non-profit organization created to promote democracy and change in the international community. Composed of 80 former Presidents and Prime Ministers from 56 countries, the Club de Madrid is the world’s largest forum of former Heads of State and Government.Among...
, an independent non-profit organization composed of 81 democratic former Presidents and Prime Ministers from 57 different countries.
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.