03-06-08
Mayor Clinton I. Young welcomes Brazilian Ambassador to
Mount Vernon
at City Hall Ceremony
Mayor Clinton I. Young, Jr. hosted
Ambassador José Alfredo Graça Lima of Brazil at
Mount Vernon City Hall in the City Council
Chambers on Thursday, March 6.
In attendance for the memorable event were many members
of the Mount Vernon Brazilian community; NY State
Senator Ruth Hazel-Thompson; Mount Vernon Police
Commissioner David Chong, along with several city
officials; members of the press; and members of the
Mount Vernon Police department.
“Over the past twenty years, the City of Mount Vernon
has become a second home for Brazilian immigrants who
seek to live out the new American Dream,” said Mayor
Young. “It is an honor to have Ambassador Graça Lima with us as a
reinforced symbol of unity between the beautiful
country of Brazil and our great city.”
"I congratulate you, Mayor Young, for continuing this
broad spectrum, this broad relationship that we have
begun to develop to insure that we are one city, and all
the residents, we embrace you," said Senator Thompson.
"I wish to state that the Brazilian community is a
phenomenal growing community in the City of Mount
Vernon, and they are a very law-abiding community. And
the police department in Mount Vernon appreciates that,
and we look forward to working very closely with the
Brazilian community. And by the, we need
Brazilian-American police officers in Mount Vernon. We
are giving an examination in December of this year, and
I would love for Brazilian-Americans to come forward and
take the examination," said Commissioner Chong.
Commissioner Chong next provided
Ambassador José Alfredo Graça Lima with several
gifts from the Mount Vernon Police Department.
The Ambassador was impressed with the reception he
received and thanked Mayor Young for his continued
support of the Brazilian community in Mount Vernon.
Ambassador José Alfredo Graça Lima has had a long and
distinguished
career in the Brazilian diplomatic service. Born
in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, he was graduated from
the School of Law of the Pontifical Catholic
University of Rio de Janeiro and from the
Brazilian Academy for Foreign Service, the Rio
Branco Institute.
Throughout his career, Ambassador Graça Lima has
specialized in international economics and trade
in positions in Geneva, Suriname, Brasília,
Washington, and Brussels. As the Consul General
of Brazil in New York, with the rank of
Ambassador, he is responsible for all consular
services to residents of Connecticut, Delaware,
New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania and Bermuda
Islands.
Ambassador Graça Lima has represented his government in
meetings of the General Agreement on Tariffs and
Trade (GATT) bodies and of other international
organizations, such as the United Nations
Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) and
the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO).
Ambassador Graça Lima has participated in two UN
Conferences -- on Anti-Dumping Practices and on
Subsidies and Countervailing Measures -- and was
elected Vice-Chairman of the latter. He was a
member of Brazil’s delegation to the Trade
Negotiating Committee (TNC) meetings of the
World Trade Organization at the ministerial
level in Montreal, Brussels and Marrakech. In
1994 he was elected Chairman of the Committee on
Anti-Dumping Practices.
As Brazilian Ambassador to Brussels from 2002 to 2005,
he led the Brazilian delegation to the European
Union.
Commissioner David Chong placing a MVPD pin on the lapel
of
Ambassador
José Alfredo Graça Lima.
