At its Annual Business Meeting in Washington, DC, on 07-08 December 2009, the Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research (CGIAR) announced the selection of Uruguayan Carlos PĆ©rez del Castillo as Chair of the new Consortium of CGIAR centers. PĆ©rez del Castillo has served as special advisor on International Trade Negotiations to the President of Uruguay and permanent representative of Uruguay to the United Nations. He has also worked for the World Trade Organization (WTO) and carried out various consultancy and advising assignments with the Inter-American Development Bank, the Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture, the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD), and the Latin American Association for Integration (ALADI). In 1990 he was awarded āThe Dr. Raul Prebisch Award in Economicsā by the Association of Latin American and Caribbean Economists, and he is a permanent member of the Harvard University Trade Group. CIMMYT Board Chair Julio BerdeguĆ© chaired the Search and Selection Committ ee for the appointment.
Capacity development 