Gabriela Bucher is a Colombian international development and social justice advocate.[1] She served as Executive Director of Oxfam International. In 2023, she was named president and CEO of the Fund for Global Human Rights.

Gabriela Bucher
Speaking at the 2021 World Economic Forum
Education
Occupation(s)International development and social justice advocate

Career

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Bucher worked at Plan International for 20 years. From 2006 to 2017, she was CEO of Fundación Plan, a division of Plan International operating in Colombia.[2][3] In 2017, she was promoted to Chief Operating Officer of the organization's headquarters in London.[4][5] At the time of her promotion, El Tiempo wrote she was considered one of the most important development leaders in Colombia.[4]

In 2020, Bucher was appointed Executive Director of Oxfam International. She was the first Colombian to lead the organization.[1] Under her leadership, Oxfam advocated for reducing wealth inequality global, increasing taxes on the wealthy and corporations, and ensuring an equitable global recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic. Bucher warned that the pandemic was intensifying global inequality, and criticized food corporation for reporting high profits as rates of acute hunger grew in the wake of the pandemic.[6] She also advocated for fairer global distribution of COVID-19 vaccines,[7] and called for a one-time 99% tax on the world's billionaires to fund expanded production of vaccines for the poor.[8][9] In 2022, Bucher spoke at a World Economic Forum panel on the future of global taxation.[10] In 2023, Bucher promoted an Oxfam report that called for raising minimum taxes for the wealthiest individuals, as well as raising taxes on large energy and food corporations.[11] In 2023, Bucher was included in Forbes Colombia's list of 100 Powerful Women for her work at Oxfam.[12]

In 2023, Bucher left Oxfam to join the Fund for Global Human Rights, a grantmaking intermediary, as its second president and CEO.[13]

Personal life

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Bucher grew up in Cali, Colombia. She earned her undergraduate degree at Universidad de los Andes and a postgraduate degree in history at the École des Hautes Études en Sciences Sociales.[1] As of 2023, Bucher resided in London.

References

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  1. ^ a b c Olarte, Maria Camila González (17 March 2022). "La primera colombiana al mando de Oxfam Internacional". Forbes Colombia (in Spanish). Retrieved 31 July 2023.
  2. ^ "Tackling teenage pregnancy in Colombia" (PDF). The Lancet. 385. 18 April 2015.
  3. ^ "Gabriela Bucher: 'Cada 30 horas hay un multimillonario nuevo'". El Tiempo (in Spanish). 5 July 2022. Retrieved 1 August 2023.
  4. ^ a b Rincón, Diana (14 July 2017). "Una colombiana codirige fundación Plan a nivel global". El Tiempo (in Spanish). Retrieved 1 August 2023.
  5. ^ "To be it, girls and boys need to see it". Development Matters. 23 March 2020. Retrieved 31 July 2023.
  6. ^ "UN appeals for $5.5 billion to avert famine for 34 million". AP News. 11 March 2021. Retrieved 31 July 2023.
  7. ^ "COVID-19 health emergency could be over this year, WHO says". AP News. 18 January 2022. Retrieved 31 July 2023.
  8. ^ "Group: Tax rich to fund vaccines for poor hit by pandemic". AP News. 17 January 2022. Retrieved 31 July 2023.
  9. ^ Ng, Abigail (17 January 2022). "'Obscene inequality': Oxfam says taxing the world's richest could help save lives". CNBC. Retrieved 1 August 2023.
  10. ^ "Experts at WEF weigh in on the future of global taxation". CNBC. Retrieved 31 July 2023.
  11. ^ "As Davos opens, Oxfam urges windfall tax on food companies". AP News. 16 January 2023. Retrieved 31 July 2023.
  12. ^ Staff, Forbes (5 May 2023). "Mujeres poderosas 2023 | Gabriela Bucher". Forbes Colombia (in Spanish). Retrieved 31 July 2023.
  13. ^ "The Fund Welcomes New President and CEO Gabriela Bucher". Fund for Global Human Rights. 1 February 2023. Retrieved 17 April 2024.
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