Biography
Senator Marta Lucía Ramírez de Rincón was the first woman to serve as minister of defense, a post she held for 18 months in 2002 and 2003. In that role, Senator Ramírez worked to centralize military spending, designed management indicators for the armed forces, consolidated training within the three branches of the military and National Police, and formed a civil commission for restructuring and strengthening the National Police. In the Senate, she introduced legislative initiatives to: permit women to become generals in the military; increase the competitiveness of Colombia’s economy; lower unemployment; mandate English teaching in schools; recognize the rights of the internally displaced; and increase youth participation in public life.
Six months prior to the election of President Álvaro Uribe in 2002, Senator Ramírez served as ambassador to France. From 1998 to 2002, she was foreign trade minister for the administration of Andrés Pastrana. Senator Ramírez earned a PhD in law and socioeconomic science from the Pontificia Universidad Javeriana in her native city of Bogotá. She has also worked in finance and foreign trade and as a university professor.
(01.2008)
Read more about this Network member:
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