Mexico City, Mexico — President Andrés Manuel López Obrador has announced the appointment of Alicia Bárcena Ibarra as the new Secretary of Foreign Relations (SRE). Ibarra is replacing Marcelo Ebrard Casaubon, who formally submitted his resignation from the agency.
“I have already appointed the diplomat, Alicia Bárcena, to fill that position. She’s going to be the next Foreign Secretary. She has a very extensive career in the field of diplomacy. She is a very intelligent, capable woman,” he said when announcing her appointment as Secretaría de Relaciones Exteriores (SRE).
During his Tuesday morning press conference, the President stressed that Ibarra has convictions and principles that will help consolidate the foreign policy during the remaining time of his administration.
“I am very happy because we are going to be well represented. She is a professional, a diplomat,” he said.
AMLO pointed out that the new head of SRE will officially take over the position next week since she is currently the Ambassador of Mexico in Chile. During this period, the Undersecretary of Foreign Affairs, Carmen Moreno Toscano, will head the SRE office.
Alicia Bárcena served as Executive Secretary of the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC) from 2008 until March 2022. At the United Nations Organization, she held multiple positions including Chief of Staff during the Kofi Annan administration and Deputy Assistant Secretary General for Administration and Management during the Ban Ki-moon period.
The former Secretaría de Relaciones Exteriores, Marcelo Ebrard Casaubon, officially resigned June 12 to focus on his presidential candidacy.
