Solidarity with Venezuela: support for the key appointments of Noly Fernández and Carlos Alvarado

The crisis of the West with its architecture of the modern world system, the recent attack on Venezuela with the kidnapping of its president, and the constant conditions and imperial hostilities of the United States, mark a historic moment for our challenges of critical thinking in health from the South and health sovereignty in our Latin American and Caribbean region.

In this complex context, from the epistemic community and regional platform of International Health and Health Sovereignty of CLACSO (Latin American Council of Social Sciences) we wish to greet, express our full institutional support and regional technical, political, and health accompaniment for two members from Venezuela of our CLACSO International Health Working Group who are assuming key responsibilities in the new management of the Ministry of Popular Power for Health from Venezuela:

1. The Dr. Noly Fernández (A public health physician and indigenous Wayuu woman, she was Secretary of Health for the State of Zulia and a member of the CLACSO International Health Study Group on "Decolonial Feminisms, Racism and Health".), is the new vice minister of "Outpatient Health Care Networks" within the new management of the MPPS of the newly appointed minister Dr. Nuramy Gutierrez Gonzalez.

2. The Dr. Carlos Alvarado (Public health physician, current Executive Director of Health at PDVSA, former minister, research associate at CLACSO International Health). who returns as Rector of the HCF University of Health Sciences, from where the aim is to produce innovative medical education and political health training and critical thinking for Venezuelan health sovereignty. 

Major challenges, critical issues, problems and junctures affect public health policies for the comprehensive and intercultural care of health and life in Venezuela, largely still affected by the geopolitical economic sanctions (which are currently beginning to be lifted) of the United States' Pan-Americanism.

From CLACSO's International Health and Health Sovereignty division, we wholeheartedly support these appointments in recognition of their experience, capabilities, and strategic training, and especially for their bravery and courage in historical contexts such as the present one, offering, as always, our work and cooperation from the Global South for Venezuelan and Latin American and Caribbean health sovereignty!

January 28, 2026
Regional coordination of the CLACSO Working Group on International Health and Health Sovereignty

This text expresses the position of the aforementioned Working Groups and not necessarily that of the centers and institutions that make up the CLACSO international network, its Steering Committee or its Executive Secretariat.