Marcela Pérez de Cuéllar
Peruvian philanthropist and advocate (1933–2013) / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Marcela Pérez de Cuéllar (née Marcela Magdalena Augusta Temple Seminario: 14 August 1933 – 1 July 2013) was a Peruvian philanthropist, children's rights advocate, and historic and cultural preservationist. She served as the first lady of the United Nations during the two terms her husband Javier Pérez de Cuéllar was Secretary-General (1982–1991) and later as his hostess during his tenure as Prime Minister of Peru (2000–2001) and Peruvian ambassador to France (2001–2004). Born in Piura, into an affluent home, she studied languages in Lima, becoming fluent in English and French. She married young, had five children, and became involved in programs to assist poor children in attaining an education. Following earlier marriages, she married Javier Pérez de Cuéllar and served as his advisor and hostess during diplomatic missions and his tenure at the United Nations.
Marcela Pérez de Cuéllar | |
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Born | Marcela Magdalena Augusta Temple Seminario (1933-08-14)14 August 1933 Piura, Peru |
Died | 1 July 2013(2013-07-01) (aged 79) Brussels, Belgium |
Other names | Marcela Temple de Ganoza, Marcela Temple Perez de Cuellar, Marcela Temple Seminario |
Although not an official position, as first lady she held numerous honorary positions for the UN. She proposed and in 1983 became honorary president of the first child care facility created for UN workers, was honorary chair of the UN Decade of Disabled Persons (1983–1992) global planning committee, and was honorary chair of the Global Cooperation for a Better World Project, created to support the United Nation's International Year of Peace celebrations in 1986. She hosted the luncheon for outgoing first lady Nancy Reagan, incoming first lady Barbara Bush and Soviet first lady Raisa Gorbacheva in 1988. That year, she was also one of the first two women appointed as UNIFEM Goodwill Ambassadors. In addition to her official duties as hostess, Pérez de Cuéllar was one of the founders of the Children's Fund for Southern Africa, an organization dedicated to assisting mothers and children with basic needs. Dedicated to world peace, she received the Together for Peace award at a celebration held at the UN in 1989. Interested in preserving historic and cultural heritage, she began working with the World Monuments Fund in 2001. She was instrumental in introducing the organization to Peru and organizing preservation efforts there. In 2010, she was appointed as the first president of the Peruvian branch of the organization and was first recipient of the World Monuments Fund's "Watch Award" in 2012.