CŽsar Gaviria, president of Colombia from 1990 to 1994 and secretary-general of the Organization of American States (OAS) since September 1994, will deliver a public lecture on Tuesday, Oct. 1. Gaviria's visit to Cornell is sponsored by the Johnson Graduate School of Management and its Latin American Business Association, the Latin American Studies Program, the Colombian Student Association and the International Business Association.

Gaviria will present "Integrating the Americas: Opportunities and Challenges" at 4 p.m. in the David L. Call Alumni Auditorium of Kennedy Hall.

In his lecture, Gaviria will discuss the involvement of the OAS in the promotion of inter-American trade cooperation. By the year 2005, the OAS hopes to establish the Free Trade Area of the Americas (FTAA), which would facilitate the economic integration of the Western hemisphere through the elimination of all trade and investment barriers.

Gaviria also will lead a public seminar, "Consolidation of Democracy in Latin America: Issues and Prospects," at 12:15 p.m. in Room G-08 of Uris Hall.

Gaviria is an accomplished statesman and leader, bringing years of experience in Latin American affairs to the OAS. During his term as president of Colombia, he promoted constitutional reform and oversaw the dismantling of the Medell’n drug cartel. After leaving the presidency in 1994 with a popularity rating of close to 70 percent, Gaviria became the secretary general of the OAS and has been involved in the formation of a new agenda for the Western hemisphere.