OCEANA INTERNATIONAL APPOINTS NEW VICE PRESIDENT FOR CHILE AND SOUTH AMERICA

NGO appoints Alex Muñoz Wilson, an attorney from the University of Chile

CONTACT/CONTACTO:
Karen Klenner (klenner@oceana.org)

Oceana

December 21, 2007

Santiago, Chile -- The international organization Oceana -an environmental agency whose objective is to protect and conserve the world's oceans-announced that  Alex Muñoz Wilson, an attorney from the University of Chile and currently coordinator of the Transparency and Anti-corruption Program at the University of Chile's Center for Human Rights, will become the organization's new Vice President for Chile and South America effective January 7th, 2008.

With a Master's in International Law from George Washington University, the new Vice President has extensive experience in human rights, environmental and public interest cases, and is expected to strengthen the NGO's efforts to advance the protection and sustainable management of marine resources in Chile and across the continent.

He is best known as one of the attorneys who successfully challenged Chile's censorship of the film "The Last Temptation of Christ" before the Inter-American Court of Human Rights and established principles of free speech that were subsequently guaranteed through amendments to the Chilean Constitution.

Muñoz had previously worked at Oceana as the group's first counsel in Chile and had played a key role in several of group's successes.

Oceana Executive Vice President Jim Simon said, "We're extremely pleased that Alex is rejoining Oceana and will lead our office in Chile.  Alex is an outstanding lawyer who has already made a difference for the oceans.  He is an accomplished leader who has proven that he can work with other experts to get results.".

Simon added, "Oceana works to achieve specific and measurable changes in government and company policies that will make a meaningful difference for ocean conservation.  Under Alex's leadership, our South American office will base our advocacy on credible science and will propose practical solutions, as Oceana does in our other global offices."

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