Lucrecia Peinado hands over the presidency of Alianza ALMA

On 23 September, during a meeting of the Alliance of Spouses of Heads of State and Representatives of Latin America (Alianza ALMA), Dr Lucrecia Peinado, First Lady of Guatemala, handed over the presidency of the organisation to Mrs Lavinia Valbonesi, First Lady of Ecuador.

Lavinia Valbonesi will lead Alianza ALMA for the 2026–2027 term. The handover took place in New York during the 81st session of the United Nations General Assembly.

During Dr Lucrecia Peinado’s year-long presidency, the Alliance focused on strengthening cooperation among the First Ladies of the region and joining forces in support of social causes across Latin America.

“Our efforts were aimed at strengthening bridges of cooperation and joining forces in support of the social causes of Latin America,” the First Lady of Guatemala noted.

Alianza ALMA is a regional cooperation platform established in 2019 to facilitate the exchange of experience, develop joint initiatives and strengthen ties among spouses of heads of state and representatives from Latin American countries.

For the new presidency, Ecuador has identified women’s economic autonomy as a cross-cutting theme. Its priorities include expanding opportunities for women in education, employment, entrepreneurship and leadership.

As she handed over the presidency, Dr Lucrecia Peinado wished Lavinia Valbonesi success in continuing this joint work and further strengthening ties among the countries of the region.