Three Colombian government officials were granted the Americas Award
for Excellence in Public Service in Atlanta Monday.
The Colombian Laureates are Education Minister Cecilia Maria Velez for improving primary school coverage, Bogota Mayor Samuel Moreno for Bogota’s public health campaigns to reduce child mortality rates, and Atlantico Governor Eduardo Verano for developing successful public/private partnerships for economic development and job creation.
The Americas award pays tribute to Western Hemisphere’s government officials who have implemented excellent projects and practices in eight areas.
The award is presented by CIFAL, an Atlanta-based not-profit organization and affiliated with the Untied Nations Institute for Training and Research.
The eight categories of the Americas Award are poverty reduction, education leadership for improving primary school coverage, gender equality for supporting gender policies and budgeting in a tangible way, child mortality reduction, maternal health improvement, HIV-AIDS prevention and reduction campaigns, environmental sustainability for preserving the environment and enhancing environmental awareness, and economic development and job creation.
Other 2009 laureates are Domingo Amaya, mayor of the Argentine city of Tucuman, Paul Granda, mayor of the Ecuadorean city of Cuenca, and Jose Cordova, Mexico City’s Secretary of Health.