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Juan SOMAVIA
Curriculum vitae

Main professional activities

United Nations

• Permanent Representative of Chile to the United Nations in New York from March 1990 to March 1999;
• Chairman of the Third Committee of the General Assembly on Social and Humanitarian Affairs, 1990-91;
• Chairman of the Social Committee of ECOSOC, 1991-92;
• President of the Economic and Social Council, 1993-94, 1998-99;
• Chairman of the Preparatory Committee of the World Summit for Social Development, Copenhagen, 1993-95;
• Representative of Chile in the Security Council, 1996-97.
• President of the Security Council, April 1996 and October 1997.

Government

• Ambassador, Adviser to the Foreign Minister of Chile on Economic and Social Affairs; responsible for multilateral issues, including ILO, 1968-70;
• Executive Secretary of the Latin American Free Trade Association (Chile); established consultative groups with trade unions and the business sector, 1970-73;
• Ambassador of Chile to the Andean Group, 1970-73;
• Member and Chairman of the Governing Body of the Andean Group, 1970-73.

Private: Business, financial and civil society organizations

• Executive Secretary of the Chilean/Argentinian Chamber of Commerce, 1963-64; active in promoting business linkages between both countries (Santiago);
• Member and Chairman of the Board of the Andean Development Corporation (Regional Financial Institution), 1970-73 (Caracas);
• Member of the Board and Vice President for Latin America of the Third World News Agency, Interpress Service, 1976-82 (Rome);
• Coordinator of the Third World Forum (a network of African, Asian, Latin American and Caribbean social actors, 1976-82 (Mexico City));
• Member of the Executive Committee of the International Foundation for Development Alternative, 1977-1995 (Nyon);
• Member of the Advisory Committee of Development Dialogue, published by the Dag Hammarskjold Foundation, 1975- (Uppsala).

Academic

• Chairman of the Board of the United Nations Research Institute for Social Development (UNRISD), 1996- (Geneva);
• Professor of International Economic and Social Affairs, Department of Political Science, Catholic University of Chile, 1971-73; highlighted ILO and its tripartite structure as a case-study in international cooperation;
• Lecturer on Economic and Social Issues in the Trade Policy Courses of GATT, 1967-68 (Geneva);
• Founder, Executive Director and President of the Latin American Institute of Transnational Studies (ILET), 1976-90; several studies on trade union and social movements (Mexico City and Santiago);
• Close cooperation in different periods with research networks in Africa (CODESRIA), Latin America and the Caribbean (CLACSO), Europe (EADI) and Asia (various);
• Co-author of the 1975 Dag Hammarskjold Report What Now: Another Development, coordinated by Marc Nerfin (Sweden);
• Co-author of the Rio Report, Reshaping International Order, coordinated by Jan Tinbergen (Netherlands), 1977;
• Doctor Honoris Causa, Connecticut College (USA) (1994);
• Doctor Honoris Causa, Universidad Catolica, Lima, Peru (1999).

Political

• President of the International Commission of the Democratic Coalition in Chile (Concertación para la democracia), 1983-90;
• Founder and Secretary-General of the South American Peace Commission, 1986-90.

Various

• Member of the General Division of GATT, 1966-68; played an active role in the participation of developing countries in the Kennedy Round;
• Consultant to UNCTAD, UNDP, UNEP, GATT, several governments and private organizations;
• Member of the MacBride Commission on International Communications; represented Latin America together with Gabriel Garcia Marquez, 1980-82;
• Chairman of the UN Committee of the Parliamentarians for Global Action (PGA).

Citations and awards

• "Leonidas Proaño Peace Prize" of the Latin American Human Rights Association for contribution to Peace and Human Rights;
• René Sand Award of the International Council on Social Welfare honouring outstanding contribution to social development;
• Citation of the UN Committee of Religious NGOs for Ethical Commitment to the work of the United Nations;
• Certificate of Appreciation of the American Sociological Association for distinguished contribution to the Human Community in its search for Peace.

Other information

• Speaks fluently Spanish, French and English;
• Numerous papers, publications, speeches and interviews;
• Regularly invited for lectures and seminars;
• Active in civil society circles.