27 March. Hernán Crespo Toral, former Assistant Director-General for Culture at UNESCO, died at his home in Quito, Ecuador on 23 March 2008, aged 70.  Mr Crespo Toral was an important actor in the field of conservation of cultural heritage in Ecuador, Latin America, and internationally. 

An architect and museologist by training, Mr Crespo Toral worked for 26 years at the Museums of the Central Bank of Ecuador where he served first as Founding Director of the Archaeological Museum and Art Galleries, and later as Director General of Museums. 

In 1988, he joined UNESCO as Director of the Regional Bureau for Culture in Latin America and the Caribbean located in Havana, Cuba.  In 1995, he moved to UNESCO headquarters in Paris where he was first Director of the Culture Sector (1995 – 1998) and then Assistant Director-General for Culture (1998 – 2000). 

Since retiring from UNESCO in 2000, Mr Crespo Toral served as an international consultant, developing cooperation projects between the countries of Latin America and Europe.

updated on: 27 March, 2008