Gustavo Adolfo Bell Lemus (born 1 February 1957) is a Colombian politician, lawyer, economist and diplomat who served as vice president of Colombia from 1998–2002 under the administration of

Andrés Pastrana Arango Andrés Pastrana Arango (born 17 August 1954) is a Colombian politician who was the 30th President of Colombia from 1998 to 2002, following in the footsteps of his father, Misael Pastrana Borrero, who was president from 1970 to 1974. Early ...

, during which time he also served concurrently as High Commissioner for Human Rights of Colombia and as Minister of National Defence between 2001 and 2002. He also served as the Colombian ambassador to

Cuba Cuba ( , ), officially the Republic of Cuba ( es, República de Cuba, links=no ), is an island country comprising the island of Cuba, as well as Isla de la Juventud and several minor archipelagos. Cuba is located where the northern Caribbea ...

from 2011 to 2017. In 1992, as the 53rd

Governor of Atlántico The Governor of the Department of Atlantico heads the executive branch of the government of the Colombian Department of Atlántico. The governor is the highest-ranking official in the department and is elected by popular vote. The current gover ...

, he became the first popularly elected Governor of the Department following the enactment of the 1991 Colombian Constitution.

Career

Education

Bell attended the

Pontifical Xavierian University The Pontifical Xavierian University (in Spanish Pontificia Universidad Javeriana) is a private higher education institution founded in 1623. It is one of the oldest, most traditional, and prestigious Colombian universities, directed by the Soc ...

where he obtained a

double degree A double degree program, sometimes called a dual degree, combined degree, conjoint degree, joint degree or double graduation program, involves a student's working for two university degrees in parallel—either at the same institution or at diffe ...

Laws Law is a set of rules that are created and are enforceable by social or governmental institutions to regulate behavior,Robertson, ''Crimes against humanity'', 90. with its precise definition a matter of longstanding debate. It has been vari ...

and

Socioeconomics Socioeconomics (also known as social economics) is the social science that studies how economic activity affects and is shaped by social processes. In general it analyzes how modern societies progress, stagnate, or regress because of their loca ...

. He completed graduate studies at the University of the Andes on a Constitutional Bicentenary scholarship from the Bank of the Republic olombia the Escuela de Estudios Hispano-Americanos at

Seville Seville (; es, Sevilla, ) is the capital and largest city of the Spanish autonomous community of Andalusia and the province of Seville. It is situated on the lower reaches of the River Guadalquivir, in the southwest of the Iberian Peninsula ...

on a research scholarship from

Spain , image_flag = Bandera de España.svg , image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg , national_motto = ''Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond") , national_anthem = (English: "Royal March") , i ...

's Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation, and St Antony's College, Oxford on a

British Council The British Council is a British organisation specialising in international cultural and educational opportunities. It works in over 100 countries: promoting a wider knowledge of the United Kingdom and the English language (and the Welsh lan ...

scholarship, where he also obtained a

Ph.D A Doctor of Philosophy (PhD, Ph.D., or DPhil; Latin: or ') is the most common degree at the highest academic level awarded following a course of study. PhDs are awarded for programs across the whole breadth of academic fields. Because it is ...

in Modern History. In addition to his academic studies, Bell was one of the founding members and part of the faculty of the

University of the North The University of Limpopo is a university in the Limpopo Province, South Africa. It was formed on 1 January 2005, by the merger of the University of the North and the Medical University of South Africa (MEDUNSA). These previous institutions form ...

in Barranquilla.

Journalism

Bell began his work in journalism in '' El Heraldo'', and quickly rose to become one of the most influential journalist in northern Colombia. While working as

Executive Editor Executive ( exe., exec., execu.) may refer to: Role or title * Executive, a senior management role in an organization ** Chief executive officer (CEO), one of the highest-ranking corporate officers (executives) or administrators ** Executive dire ...

of ''El Heraldo'', Bell suffered an assassination attempt but escaped unharme

Governorship

In 1991 Bell run for governor of the

Atlántico Department Atlántico (, en, Atlantic) is a department of Colombia, located in northern Colombia with the Caribbean Sea to its north, the Bolívar Department to its west and south separated by the Canal del Dique, and the Magdalena Department to its ...

as an independent candidate, he became the first elected governor by popular vote of this Department for the period between 1992-1994. (governors in Colombia were appointed by the President before the constitution of 1991)

Vice Presidency (1998-2002)

After spending three years studying in the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the European mainland, continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...

, Bell returned to Colombia in 1997 and joined the presidential campaign of Andrés Pastrana. Pastrana offered him the Vice Presidency of Colombia, They were elected for the 1998-2002 presidential period. Vice President Bell was in charge of the Colombian Office for

Human Rights Human rights are moral principles or normsJames Nickel, with assistance from Thomas Pogge, M.B.E. Smith, and Leif Wenar, 13 December 2013, Stanford Encyclopedia of PhilosophyHuman Rights Retrieved 14 August 2014 for certain standards of hu ...

issues between 1998 and 2001, year in which President Pastrana also appointed him the

Ministry of National Defence {{unsourced, date=February 2021 A ministry of defence or defense (see spelling differences), also known as a department of defence or defense, is an often-used name for the part of a government responsible for matters of defence, found in states ...

Ambassadorship

On 29 October 2010, President

Juan Manuel Santos Calderón Juan Manuel Santos Calderón (; born 10 August 1951) is a Colombian politician who was the President of Colombia from 2010 to 2018. He was the sole recipient of the 2016 Nobel Peace Prize. An economist by profession and a journalist by trade ...

designated Bell to be

Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary An ambassador is an official envoy, especially a high-ranking diplomat who represents a state and is usually accredited to another sovereign state or to an international organization as the resident representative of their own government or sov ...

of Colombia to the

Republic of Cuba Cuba ( , ), officially the Republic of Cuba ( es, República de Cuba, links=no ), is an island country comprising the island of Cuba, as well as Isla de la Juventud and several minor archipelagos. Cuba is located where the northern Caribbean ...

stating "I think better ambassador to Cuba would not be found. We want to maintain a special relationship with Cuba and therefore we will send an ambassador of high carat, as Dr. Bell". On 7 March 2011, Bell was sworn in by President Santos on as Ambassador to Cuba in a ceremony at the

Palace of Nariño A palace is a grand residence, especially a royal residence, or the home of a head of state or some other high-ranking dignitary, such as a bishop or archbishop. The word is derived from the Latin name palātium, for Palatine Hill in Rome which ...

. Bell served as ambassador until 2017 and was succeeded by Araceli Morales López.

Personal life

Bell was married to María Mercedes De La Espriella and has one daughter named María Alexandr

References

people daily - Gustavo Bellmedios para la paz - Atentado contra la vida de Gustavo Bell

, - , - , - , - {{DEFAULTSORT:Bell, Gustavo 1957 births Living people People from Barranquilla Pontifical Xavierian University alumni Alumni of St Antony's College, Oxford Colombian governors 20th-century Colombian historians Colombian journalists Male journalists Colombian Conservative Party politicians Governors of Atlántico Department Vice presidents of Colombia Colombian Ministers of Defense Ambassadors of Colombia to Cuba