Press Room

November 2004: Inauguration of CIFAL Atlanta

• Press Room Archive

Atlanta, United States, 21 September 2004. UNITAR’s Decentralized Cooperation programme has opened CIFAL Atlanta for the Americas which will specialize in the areas of commercial diplomacy, information technology, and private/public partnerships.

Official signing ceremony by Mayor Shirley Franklin of Atlanta and Mr. Marcel Boisard, Assistant Secretary General of the United Nations and Executive Director of UNITAR in the presence of (left to right) Axel Leblois, Executive Director of CIFAL Atlanta, Christophe Nuttall, Principal Programme Coordinator of UNITAR, Sam Williams, President of the Metro Atlanta Chamber of Commerce and Gilberto Toro, Secretary General of FLACMA

Mayor Shirley Franklin of Atlanta and Mr. Marcel Boisard, Assistant Secretary General of the United Nations and executive director of UNITAR, have inaugurated CIFAL Atlanta on 21 September in the presence of:

• Hemisphere, Inc., a non-profit organization that is spearheading the efforts of Atlanta to attract international organizations, including the secretariat of the FTAA (Free Trade Areas of the Americas)

• Metro Atlanta Chamber of Commerce

• Atlanta Regional Consortium for Higher Education

• FLACMA: Association of Municipalities of Latin America

This initiative demonstrates the private/public spirit of CIFAL Atlanta which joins Atlanta’s roster of international organizations such as; The Carter Center, The King Center, CARE, Habitat for humanity and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention as well as others which are dedicated to furthering democracy, civil rights, economic development and improving quality of life.

Mr. Marcel Boisard offering the UN flag to Mayor Shirley Franklin

Mr. Boisard has been invited by President Jimmy Carter, who introduced him at the Board of the Carter Foundation.

"By bringing together leaders from across the Americas , CIFAL Atlanta creates opportunities for greater economic development and the sharing of intellectual resources," said Ambassador Andrew Young.

UNITAR chose Atlanta because of its reputation as the economic hub of the southeastern U.S. and the significant cluster of organizations located here that are dedicated to furthering democracy, human rights, poverty and disease prevention around the world.

Mr. Axel LEBLOIS has been appointed executive Director of CIFAL Atlanta.

Related Links:

Atlanta Increases International Presence (City Newsbytes, City of Atlanta)
Atlanta as a Global Hub - Empowering Growth in the Hemisphere (Metro Atlanta, Chamber of Commerce)
Atlanta to Aid U.N. in Promoting Economic and Social Development (GLOBALATLANTA.com)

For more information:

Please contact Mr. Axel Leblois (CIFAL Atlanta) at axel_leblois@cifalatlanta.org
or Ms. Charlotte Diez (UNITAR) at dcp@unitar.org