Mrs Pamella Benson, Executive Director, NALIS has been elected President, INFOLAC at the recently concluded VIII Consultative Meeting of Information Systems and Networks in Latin America and the Caribbean (INFOLAC), held in Trinidad and Tobago from June 12 – 14, 2001 at the Ambassador Hotel. The Meeting was hosted by the National Library and Information System Authority (NALIS) in cooperation with the UNESCO’s Regional Office for Communication and Information for Latin America and the Caribbean.

The Honourable Ganga Singh, Minister of Human Development; representatives from UNESCO and Mrs. Pamella Benson, Executive Director of NALIS and President of INFOLAC, delivered addresses at the opening ceremony. A number of government ministers, permanent secretaries, diplomats of representing countries, and other specially invited guests attended the opening ceremony.

The Meeting which was an intergovernmental forum for the exchange of expertise and experience in the area of library and information services in the region, witnessed some 40 overseas participants (33 delegates and 10 observers) converging at the Ambassador Hotel for a packed three days of discussions and development of ideas on policies, technologies and information services with a view to fostering sustainable development in Latin America and the Caribbean.

INFOLAC is a regional programme of the Information, Informatics and Communications Section of UNESCO established in 1986 by resolution of the XXIII General Conference of UNESCO, and enjoys support of UNESCO and its member countries. INFOLAC’s objectives are to serve as a regional advisory body for governments, UNESCO and other regional and international organizations in the area of information services, to integrate and develop the information sector in Latin America and the Caribbean and to foster information services in the Caribbean. INFOLAC Meetings are held every two years in one of its member countries.