Mexico to nominate Alicia Barcena to head Inter-American Development Bank

MEXICO CITY (Reuters) – Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador on Thursday said his country plans to nominate the former head of the United Nation’s regional economic body, Alicia Barcena, to head the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB).

Barcena, former executive secretary of ECLAC, the U.N.’s Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean, would be a candidate to replace the bank’s former president who was voted out by the its governors following an ethics probe.

Barcena earlier this month was confirmed as Mexico’s ambassador to Chile.

“She is an exceptional woman, very prepared with very good relationships with all governments,” Lopez Obrador said in a regular news conference.

Headquartered in Washington, the IDB is a key investor in Latin America and the Caribbean. It was responsible for $23.4 billion in financing and other financial commitments in 2021.

Former IDB president Mauricio Claver-Carone, the only American president in the bank’s history, was fired this week after an investigation showed he had an intimate relationship with a subordinate, Reuters exclusively reported.

Several sources told Reuters that some bank members are pushing for Claver-Carone to be replaced permanently with a woman president.

(Reporting by Diego Ore and Cassandra Garrison; Editing by Anthony Esposito and Mark Porter)

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