The life and democracy work of Gerardo LeChevallier,  NDI's former director of Latin America and Caribbean programs and country director for Haiti, was celebrated March 8 at a memorial held at the Organization of American States (OAS) in Washington, DC.   Mr. LeChevallier, 56, was serving as the head of the political affairs and elections units within the UN Stabilization Mission in Haiti and died in the collapse of the UN headquarters building in Port-au-Prince during the earthquake in January.

A number of speakers remember Mr. LeChevallier as an internationalist who loved life and lived it passionately and to the fullest.  “Gerardo was a citizen of democracy,” said José Miguel Insulza, secretary general of the OAS. “Nothing could make him more happy than the magic of democracy working.”

“He always saw the redemptive quality in people,” said Arturo Valenzuela, assistant secretary of state for Western Hemisphere Affairs.  “It was a redemptive quality that was rooted in the enormous belief in the power of democracy.”

Kenneth Wollack, president of NDI, called Mr. LeChevallier, “the optimist.” He loved life and lived it to the fullest.  And he was a passionate player on the democratic political stage.  “He was exactly where he wanted to be, doing exactly what he wanted to do, immersed in Haiti, democracy and politics,” Wollack said. 

Other speakers included Santiago Cantón, executive secretary of the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights, Organization of American States; Raymond Alcide Joseph, ambassador of Haiti to the United States; Luis Menéndez, represenative of El Salvador to the OAS; William Davis, director, United National Information Center in Washington, DC; and Nicole LeChevallier, daughter of Mr. LeChevallier. 

A native of El Salvador, Mr. LeChevallier was at the time of his death head of the political affairs and election units of the United Nations peacekeeping mission in Haiti.  He spent 10 years at NDI, first as resident director in Haiti, Paraguay and Bosnia, and finally as director for Latin America and Caribbean programs.  Prior to his formal employment with NDI, he served on an NDI observer delegation to the historic 1989 elections in Chile. 

“Gerardo believed in the adage that you can’t be detached and be effective,” NDI said in a remembrance statement.  “He moved comfortably among heads of state and sat at the negotiating table during high-level political talks.  At the same time, he had a following among young people who saw in him a friend and mentor – someone they could learn from and who could positively change their outlook on life. 

“Gerardo was always the optimist, with a deep and abiding belief in a common humanity – in the democratic aspirations of all people.  We will always honor Gerardo’s vision and his courage, commitment and accomplishments.”

Published March 9, 2010

• Please visit NDI’s Red de Partidos Politicos website to read and leave comments about Gerardo LeChevallier. [2]

Watch the entire service featuring all of the speakers

• Watch Santiago Cantón give opening remarks at the service [3]
• Watch José Miguel Insulza give remarks at the service [4]
• Watch Arturo Valenzuela give remarks at the service [5]
• Watch Kenneth Wollack give remarks at the service [6]
• Watch Raymond Alcide Joseph give remarks at the service [7]
• Watch Luis Menéndez give remarks at the service [8]
• Watch William Davis give remarks at the service [9]
• Watch Nicole LeChevallier give remarks at the service [10]
• Watch Santiago Cantón give closing remarks at the service [11]