Thirty-sixth session of ECLAC

Brazilian economist Antonio Prado assumed the position of Deputy Executive Secretary of the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC) on 1 November 2009, upon his appointment by the Secretary-General of the United Nations, Ban Ki-moon.

For much of his career, Mr. Prado specialized in the analysis of technological change in industry and its impact on economic development, the labour market and industrial relations in Brazil.

Before his appointment with ECLAC, he served as Head Officer for Government Affairs of the Presidency of the Brazilian National Bank for Economic and Social Development, BNDES (2005-2009), where he focused on anti-inflationary and development policies. He was previously economic adviser to the president of the government seat in the Brazilian Senate (2003-2004).

Mr. Prado has been a board member of the Brazilian Agency for Export Promotion (APEX), the Brazilian Agency for Industrial Development (ABDI) and the Celso Furtado Center, among other institutions, including civil society organizations.

Between 1990 and 2000, he was a member of the technical board of directors and responsible for the research division at DIEESE, a research centre on labour issues in Brazil. There, he prepared statistical surveys on the cost of living and employment and studies on income distribution, racial and gender issues, strategic planning, industrial changes and macroeconomics.

In the 1990s, Mr. Prado coordinated research projects at the National Council for the Development of Science and Technology and headed innovative studies on gender and race in the labour market of Brazil’s metropolitan areas.

He has been a professor at the Catholic University in São Paulo, and more recently, at the Rio Branco Institute of Brazil’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs. He holds a Master’s degree in Industrial Economics and a PhD in economic development policies from the State University of Campinas (UNICAMP). He has published books and articles in Brazil’s specialized media.