At the Annual General Meeting of the YDL, the newly formed Executive Committee was appointed and the members elected Mrs. Amaris Leal, First Secretary at the Belize High Commission, as the new President for the 2019 to 2020 term.

Mrs. Leal takes over from outgoing President, Mr. Wilfred Adderley II, from the Commonwealth of The Bahamas.

The other Offices for the 2019/2020 YDL Executive Committee are as follows:

  • Vice President – Mr. Ali Al-Khairalla, Third Secretary/Vice Consul, Embassy of Iraq
  • Treasurer – Mr. Francisco Jose Masis Holdridge, Counsellor/Consul, Embassy of Costa Rica
  • Secretary General – Ms. Silvana Lesca, Minister Counsellor, Embassy of Uruguay
  • Legal Secretary – Ms. Mary Chvetadze, Counsellor, Alternative Permanent Representative to the IMO, Embassy of Georgia
  • Mr. Svetozar Dimitrov, Second Secretary, Embassy of Bulgaria
  • Mr. Gareth Wilson, Desk Officer for Spain, Foreign and Commonwealth Office UK

Mrs. Leal is breaking new ground as she becomes the first Belizean President of the YDL as well as the first woman diplomat to hold this post. She is also the first President from Central America.