The Public Relations in Latin America presented, during the 50s, an important demand of knowledge and exigencies. The companies began to adopt measures to prepare directors who could relate with their public in a more and more complex society. The Role of the Public Relations wins protagonism and requires more attention from Universities and professionals. Professional Associations begin to arise in the different cities of America to promote and give feedback to the activity that begins to face new challenges constantly.

In 1960, in Mexico, the pioneer and outstanding member of the field of the corporative communications, Don Federico Sánchez Fogarty glimpses the necessity of an institution that could group all the Associations, Councils and Professional Schools of the American continent to give answers to the new communicational paradigms, to regulate an exact exercise of the profession and to collaborate with the development of the nations.

It summons with that aim all the institutions of the continent and on that same year September 26th, in the city of Mexico, the Inter-American Federation of Public Relations (FIARP) is founded in the presense of the participating countries: Brazil (Paulo Einhorn), Chile (Angel C. Sanlueza), Colombia (Dr. Andrés Samper), Cuba (Dr. Arnaldo Sehwerert Ferrer), United States through the American Public Relations Association (Louis García) and the Public Relations Society of América (Kenneth Youel), Panama (Luis Raúl Fernández), Puerto Rico (Ramón Casablanca) and Venezuela (Tery J. León). Later, this day will stay instituted as "Inter-American Day of the Public Relations" and it is celebrated all over the continent.

During the first 7 years of the FIARP the presidential mandates lasted one year and its seat -as it occurs at the present time- moved depending on the nationality of its president.

Three years after its creation, in October, 1963, during the presidency of Ney Peixoto Do Vale, in the IV Meeting of the Directive Council celebrated in Rio de Janeiro the following concept of Public Relations is defined:

"The Public Relations is a social-technical-administrative discipline by which the opinion and attitude of the public is analyzed and evaluated and a continuous planned program is done with a reciprocal communication, based on the interest of the community, destined to maintain an affinity and beneficial understanding with the public"

This notion is basic and universal, effective in its essence and modified by the advances and investigations, only in order to increase, and never with spirit to weaken, the original vision.

In the meeting of 1966, during a new presidency of Federico Sánchez Fogarty and with the impulse of the Brazilian outstanding Teobaldo de Souza Andrade and of the Colombian Humberto López López, the Inter-American Commission for the Education of Public Relations (CIPERP) is created, conformed by a professor of each member country .

In that same meeting the directive commission decides to extend the presidential period to two years and is chosen to hold the president position the distinguished specialist in Latin American Public Relations and respected Colombian journalist Dr Humberto López López.

In 1968 the Inter-American Center of Investigation and Documentation in Public Relations (CINIDREP) is created in Colombia. This organism -the only one of that kind at that moment and subordinate of CONFIARP- looks for reaching the maximum level in the professional investigation of the Public Relations. This determined that the PR left a reductionist vision of the relation company/public and began to respond the main problems that distressed their communities.

Teobaldo de Souza Andrade was president of the FIARP between 1973-1974 and in his mandate the Institution met for the first time in the United States jointly with the PRSA. It also drove the incorporation of the Federation like Nongovernmental Consulting Member for the United Nations.

In 1979 his influence was decisive so that CONFIARP created the CIESURP (Inter-American Center of Superior Studies in Public Relations and Public Opinion), that had as initial seat the University of Curitiba (Brazil), later the University of Londrina (Brazil) and, afterwards, the University of San Martin de Porres in Lima (Peru).

The FIARP was the denomination that had the institution from 1960 to 1985, when in Asuncion of Paraguay, under the presidency of Roman Pérez Senac the FIARP became CONFIARP (Inter-American Confederation of Public Relations), memorable landmark for the authentic Public Relations of America.

In 1987 CONFIARP receives the distinction: "Messenger for the Peace", granted by the United Nations (UN).

There are many challenges that are still faced by the Public Relations: the present demands produce a difference between the technological requirements, the agility in the world-wide communication and the reality of the Latin American countries.

In the last years CONFIARP has made an effort to create spaces in which the professional institutions of Public Relations can narrow the bows, be inserted in the global era and reflect on the subjects that concern to each region; besides looking for new ways to stimulate investigation, professional performance and the approach to the social and economic problematic of Latin America.

In this matter, during the presidency of Horacio Gegunde the website of CONFIARP on the Internet was put into operation, the News bulletin was emitted and scholarships for students were promoted; for the first time in the history of the institution the professional work is awarded and the present book is published, that narrates the trajectory of the institution and that will let a door opened to continue the construction of the Public Relations in the region.

PRESIDENTS of the FIARP

PRESIDENTS of the CONFIARP

The official seats of the General Secretariat was located in the following countries:

SEATS OF THE GENERAL SECRETARIAT OF THE FIARP

SEATS OF THE GENERAL SECRETARIAT OF THE CONFIARP