John Biehl del Río New Senior Executive for International IDEA

Press Release:

John Biehl del Río New Senior Executive for International IDEA

Stockholm, 11 November 1999 -- Mr John Biehl del Río, Chile, has been appointed Senior Executive at the International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance (International IDEA).

The appointment of Ambassador Biehl del Río, effective from 1 November 1999, strengthens

International IDEA's presence and activities in Latin America.

"We are very happy to announce the appointment of John Biehl del Río as a Senior Executive for International IDEA. John Biehl is well known and respected, not only for heading various programmes in the UN system, but also for his commitment to peace and democracy in Latin America," said Bengt Säve-Söderbergh, Secretary-General of International IDEA.

Mr Biehl del Río has been Minister of the Presidency since 1998 in his home country, Chile, and served as the Chilean Ambassador to the United States between 1994 and 1998. He has worked extensively with the United Nations where he started in 1969 as Director of the regional programme on Latin America and the Caribbean. Later on (during the seventies and eighties) Mr Biehl del Río headed programmes in Costa Rica, Honduras, Panama and Mexico for the United Nations Development Programme. John Biehl del Río is well known for his special contribution to the peace plan for Central America.

An expert on democracy, development and peace, Mr Biehl del Río has written extensively on these issues for Latin American and international publications.

Although based in Santiago de Chile, Mr Biehl del Río will be travelling in the region and elsewhere in the world. He will work mainly with Latin American issues but will also contribute to the Institute's programmes in other regions of the world.

The International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance (International IDEA) was founded in February 1995. The Institute’s overall objective is to promote and advance sustainable democracy world-wide and to improve and consolidate electoral processes. There are currently 19 member-states: Australia, Barbados, Belgium, Botswana, Canada, Chile, Costa Rica, Denmark, Finland, India, Mauritius, Namibia, the Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, South Africa, Spain, Sweden, and Uruguay. There are also five associate members: International Federation of Journalists, International Press Institute, Parliamentarians for Global Action, the Inter-American Institute for Human Rights and Transparency International. International IDEA has formal agreements with the International Commission of Jurists, the Inter-Parliamentary Union, the United Nations Development Programme, the Inter-American Development Bank, and co-operates closely with Switzerland.