Gabriela Bucher

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

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.

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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