On August 13, 2015, the Pocitos Library received a donation from Julio Lacarte Muró, former Uruguayan ambassador to Germany, Argentina, Bolivia, Ecuador, the United States, and Japan, and former executive secretary of the GATT (General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade), which he helped establish and in which he participated in several major negotiations.
The donation consists of approximately 300 items, including books and other documents, focusing on the history of international trade and economic cooperation.
It covers topics ranging from the first attempts to establish an international trade organization in 1947, through the history and activities of the GATT and its rounds of trade negotiations, to the creation of the World Trade Organization.
In addition, the donation includes statistics on international trade dating from the 1960s to the present, as well as specialized publications on economic integration, trade policy, and development in Latin America.
Of particular note is the GATT’s annual 42-volume series titled “Basic Instruments and Miscellaneous Documents,” which compiles the main decisions, resolutions, recommendations, and reports adopted each year by the GATT contracting parties, noted the library’s coordinator, Verónica Rodríguez
“Among the library’s 45,000 volumes, these will undoubtedly be of special value,” he added.
“I believe that, as the saying goes, the past is a prologue. If you really think about what’s happening, what happened in the past is often reflected in current attitudes,” said Lacarte Muró. “If you read these books, you can see how much effort went into it, how many meetings were held, and how many projects were considered.”
At the event, university officials thanked Lacarte Muró for his collaboration, support, and guidance; he was honored with a plaque bearing his name in the library; and some of the highlights of his career were highlighted.
Lacarte Muró said he decided to donate the books to Universidad ORT Uruguay his familiarity with the institution and, in particular, with some of the professors. “I am confident that they will be well cared for there.”