Leopoldo Benites
Encyclopedia
Leopoldo Benites was the 28th President of the United Nations General Assembly
in 1973. He had been the permanent representative of Ecuador
since October 1960.
in Ecuador
on 17 October 1905. His father was a physician. He attended university in his home town where he obtained a degree in social and political science. Benites married aged 20 to Margot Sierra. He was a diplomat who served as the Ecuadorean ambassador to a number of countries. Benites served as a Professor and earned an honorary doctorate from the University of Montevideo
in Uruguay
. He worked as a journalist, a role in which he later said he was against dictatorship. In the 1930s he spent eight months in jail. Whilst in jail—an experience he described as "interesting"—he wrote a biography of Francisco de Orellana
.
Benites was Ecuador's ambassador to Uruguay from 1947 to 1952. In 1954 he took on a similar role in Bolivia
until 1956 when he spent a brief period as ambassador to Argentina. At the end of 1956 he took up the role of ambassador to Uruguay to August 1960. He then became the Permanent representative at the United Nations.
Benites published short stories and poems as well as longer studies of the Ecuadoran hero Eugenio Espejo
and Francisco de Orellana
, the Spanish conquistador
who travelled the length of the River Amazon and founded Benites' home city.
In 1965, Benites led the Ecuadorian delegation to a meeting for the Denuclearization of Latin America which was held in Mexico City
. He continued to work for denuclearization and in 1971 he became the first official Secretary-General of OPANAL
an international organization which promotes nuclear disarmament
. He only resigned this post when he was told that he was a strong candidate to be the United Nations' next Secretary General.
An anecdote of Benites reports that an Asian UN delegate said to Benites that he liked his speech but did not like the vote that he cast. Benites said "The arguments are my own, but the vote was my government's instruction".
He became the 28th Secretary General of the United Nations in 1973. By this time he was a veteran at the UN, having been to eighteen general assemblies, at twelve of these he had been Ecuador's main delegate. In his maiden speech as Secretary General, following his appointment, he had the honour of admitting the Bahamas and both East and West Germany
into the United Nations. The admission of the two halves of Germany was an important moment as the UN had been formed as a reaction to World War II
which had been initiated by Nazi Germany
. This brought the total number of nations in the U.N. to 135 and at the time the prospective candidates were North
and South Korea
.
Benites was one of eleven Secretarys-General who were summoned back to the United Nations in 1985 to advise on how the UN could increase its impact. Benites died in 1996. He and Margot had two sons, Leopoldo and Robert.
President of the United Nations General Assembly
The President of the United Nations General Assembly is a position voted for by representatives in the United Nations General Assembly on a yearly basis.- Election :...
in 1973. He had been the permanent representative of Ecuador
Ecuador
Ecuador , officially the Republic of Ecuador is a representative democratic republic in South America, bordered by Colombia on the north, Peru on the east and south, and by the Pacific Ocean to the west. It is one of only two countries in South America, along with Chile, that do not have a border...
since October 1960.
Early life
Leopoldo Benites Vinueza was born in GuayaquilGuayaquil
Guayaquil , officially Santiago de Guayaquil , is the largest and the most populous city in Ecuador,with about 2.3 million inhabitants in the city and nearly 3.1 million in the metropolitan area, as well as that nation's main port...
in Ecuador
Ecuador
Ecuador , officially the Republic of Ecuador is a representative democratic republic in South America, bordered by Colombia on the north, Peru on the east and south, and by the Pacific Ocean to the west. It is one of only two countries in South America, along with Chile, that do not have a border...
on 17 October 1905. His father was a physician. He attended university in his home town where he obtained a degree in social and political science. Benites married aged 20 to Margot Sierra. He was a diplomat who served as the Ecuadorean ambassador to a number of countries. Benites served as a Professor and earned an honorary doctorate from the University of Montevideo
University of the Republic, Uruguay
The University of the Republic is Uruguay's public university. It is the most important and country's largest university, with a student body of more than 80,000 students. It was founded on July 18, 1849 in Montevideo, where most of its buildings and facilities are still located. Its current...
in Uruguay
Uruguay
Uruguay ,officially the Oriental Republic of Uruguay,sometimes the Eastern Republic of Uruguay; ) is a country in the southeastern part of South America. It is home to some 3.5 million people, of whom 1.8 million live in the capital Montevideo and its metropolitan area...
. He worked as a journalist, a role in which he later said he was against dictatorship. In the 1930s he spent eight months in jail. Whilst in jail—an experience he described as "interesting"—he wrote a biography of Francisco de Orellana
Francisco de Orellana
Francisco de Orellana was a Spanish explorer and conquistador. He completed the first known navigation of the length of the Amazon River, which was originally named for him...
.
Benites was Ecuador's ambassador to Uruguay from 1947 to 1952. In 1954 he took on a similar role in Bolivia
Bolivia
Bolivia officially known as Plurinational State of Bolivia , is a landlocked country in central South America. It is the poorest country in South America...
until 1956 when he spent a brief period as ambassador to Argentina. At the end of 1956 he took up the role of ambassador to Uruguay to August 1960. He then became the Permanent representative at the United Nations.
Benites published short stories and poems as well as longer studies of the Ecuadoran hero Eugenio Espejo
Eugenio Espejo
Francisco Javier Eugenio de Santa Cruz y Espejo was a medical pioneer, writer and lawyer of mestizo origin in colonial Ecuador. Although he was a notable scientist and writer, he stands out as a polemicist who inspired the separatist movement in Quito. He is regarded as one of the most important...
and Francisco de Orellana
Francisco de Orellana
Francisco de Orellana was a Spanish explorer and conquistador. He completed the first known navigation of the length of the Amazon River, which was originally named for him...
, the Spanish conquistador
Conquistador
Conquistadors were Spanish soldiers, explorers, and adventurers who brought much of the Americas under the control of Spain in the 15th to 16th centuries, following Europe's discovery of the New World by Christopher Columbus in 1492...
who travelled the length of the River Amazon and founded Benites' home city.
In 1965, Benites led the Ecuadorian delegation to a meeting for the Denuclearization of Latin America which was held in Mexico City
Mexico City
Mexico City is the Federal District , capital of Mexico and seat of the federal powers of the Mexican Union. It is a federal entity within Mexico which is not part of any one of the 31 Mexican states but belongs to the federation as a whole...
. He continued to work for denuclearization and in 1971 he became the first official Secretary-General of OPANAL
OPANAL
The OPANAL is an international organization which promotes nuclear disarmament...
an international organization which promotes nuclear disarmament
Nuclear disarmament
Nuclear disarmament refers to both the act of reducing or eliminating nuclear weapons and to the end state of a nuclear-free world, in which nuclear weapons are completely eliminated....
. He only resigned this post when he was told that he was a strong candidate to be the United Nations' next Secretary General.
An anecdote of Benites reports that an Asian UN delegate said to Benites that he liked his speech but did not like the vote that he cast. Benites said "The arguments are my own, but the vote was my government's instruction".
He became the 28th Secretary General of the United Nations in 1973. By this time he was a veteran at the UN, having been to eighteen general assemblies, at twelve of these he had been Ecuador's main delegate. In his maiden speech as Secretary General, following his appointment, he had the honour of admitting the Bahamas and both East and West Germany
West Germany
West Germany is the common English, but not official, name for the Federal Republic of Germany or FRG in the period between its creation in May 1949 to German reunification on 3 October 1990....
into the United Nations. The admission of the two halves of Germany was an important moment as the UN had been formed as a reaction to World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
which had been initiated by Nazi Germany
Nazi Germany
Nazi Germany , also known as the Third Reich , but officially called German Reich from 1933 to 1943 and Greater German Reich from 26 June 1943 onward, is the name commonly used to refer to the state of Germany from 1933 to 1945, when it was a totalitarian dictatorship ruled by...
. This brought the total number of nations in the U.N. to 135 and at the time the prospective candidates were North
North Korea
The Democratic People’s Republic of Korea , , is a country in East Asia, occupying the northern half of the Korean Peninsula. Its capital and largest city is Pyongyang. The Korean Demilitarized Zone serves as the buffer zone between North Korea and South Korea...
and South Korea
South Korea
The Republic of Korea , , is a sovereign state in East Asia, located on the southern portion of the Korean Peninsula. It is neighbored by the People's Republic of China to the west, Japan to the east, North Korea to the north, and the East China Sea and Republic of China to the south...
.
Benites was one of eleven Secretarys-General who were summoned back to the United Nations in 1985 to advise on how the UN could increase its impact. Benites died in 1996. He and Margot had two sons, Leopoldo and Robert.
Works
- Socialist Thought, 2008
- Argonauts of the jungle, 1992
- Ecuador, drama and paradox, 1986
- Francisco Eugenio Espejo, a resident of the night, 1984
- Poems in three stages, 1977
- The discoverers of the Amazon, 1976
- Ecuador, 1950