Gabriela Núñez Ennabe (born October 25, 1962) is a Honduran politician, economist, and former government official. She has served as Minister of Finance of Honduras, President of the Central Bank of Honduras, and as a member of the National Congress of Honduras.
Background and Education
Núñez was born on October 25, 1962, to Amado Humberto Núñez (a lawyer who served three times as Secretary of Labor) and Salpie Ennabe. She earned a degree in Economics from the Universidad Nacional Autónoma de Honduras (UNAH) in 1984 and received a Fulbright scholarship to obtain a Master's degree in International Economics from the University at Albany, State University of New York, in 1989.
Career
Early Career (1985–1998)
From 1985 to 1994, Núñez worked as a financial analyst at the Central Bank of Honduras. She served as Technical Secretary of the Economic Cabinet (UDAPE) from 1993 to 1995, Undersecretary of Finance from 1995 to 1996, and from 1996 to 1998 represented Honduras on the Executive Board of the Inter-American Development Bank (IADB), as well as serving as Governor to the IADB, International Monetary Fund, and World Bank.
Minister of Finance (1998–2002)
Núñez served as Honduras' Minister of Finance from 1998 to 2002 under President Carlos Flores Facussé. She was noted for her role in managing the country's external debt and securing Honduras' inclusion in the Heavily Indebted Poor Countries (HIPC) Initiative. In 1999, CNN and Time magazine named her among the "50 Latin American Leaders for the New Millennium." The World Economic Forum recognized her as a "Global Leader for Tomorrow."
President of the Central Bank (2006–2008)
She was appointed President of the Central Bank of Honduras in January 2006 under President Manuel Zelaya. She was dismissed from this position in January 2008, a decision she later successfully challenged in court, with a 2013 ruling finding in her favor.
Minister of Finance (2009–2010)
Following the 2009 Honduran constitutional crisis and the removal of President Zelaya, Núñez was appointed Minister of Finance under the interim government of Roberto Micheletti, serving from June 2009 to January 2010.
Later Career
From 2010 to 2011, she worked as an independent international consultant for the World Bank and the IADB. She was elected as a deputy to the National Congress of Honduras for the Liberal Party, representing Francisco Morazán, from 2014 to 2018, and served as head of her party's congressional caucus from February 2015 until her resignation in March 2016. She ran as a pre-candidate for the presidency in the Liberal Party's internal elections in 2005 and again in 2017, finishing second in the latter. In August 2023, she assumed the position of General Manager of Banrural Honduras.
Personal Life
Since 1992, Núñez has been married to economist Juan Carlos Reyes, with whom she has four children.
Recognition
- 1999: Named among "50 Latin American Leaders for the New Millennium" by Time and CNN.
- 2000: Included among the "100 Global Leaders for Tomorrow" by the World Economic Forum.
- 2015: Included among the "50 Most Influential Women in Central America" by Forbes México.
