Ecuadorian Ambassador Luis Gallegos Recognized for Commitment to Human Rights

Ecuador’s ambassador to the United States, Dr. Luis Gallegos, received a human rights award from the city government of Washington, D.C., and the Washington Hispanic Chamber of Commerce for the international work he has done on behalf of the disabled community. He is the first foreign Ambassador to receive a Proclamation from the Mayor’s Office.

(Photo: www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20091204/DC21511)

Tuesday’s event was organized by the Greater Washington Hispanic Chamber of Commerce as part of its Embassy Celebration Dinners, held at the Convention Center and hosted by Angela Franco, CEO of the Chamber.

Also in attendance was the Undersecretary of State for the Western Hemisphere of the U.S. State Department, Dr. Arturo Valenzuela; the President of the Western Hemisphere Subcommittee of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, Rep. Eliot Engel (D-NY); the President and CEO of the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, Angela Franco; and the national coordinators of the Chamber, Robert and Jane Garcia.

Ambassador Gallegos thanked the Chamber for the honor and emphasized the need to promote and respect human rights everywhere, especially workplace protection for the most vulnerable, such as women, children, minorities and the disabled. “We have learned that a man can extend his hand in friendship or his fist in hate,” he said, adding that for true human rights, it is necessary that there be a change in each one’s minds and hearts.

In addition to his work on behalf of disabled peoples, Ambassador Gallegos is a member of the United Nations Committee against Torture, which monitors the prevention of torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment.

Ambassador Gallegos also belongs to the Global Leadership Group which works to identify and clarify standards of corporate responsibility and accountability for transnational corporations and other business enterprises with regard to human rights.”

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