Marly Winckler Named Honorary President of the International Vegetarian Union

On 27 December 2025, the International Council of the International Vegetarian Union (IVU) voted to confer the title of Honorary President upon Marly Winckler, in recognition of her distinguished service to IVU and to the vegetarian cause. The motion was adopted unanimously by all councillors who cast a vote, in an online ballot, the standard voting procedure of the Council, conducted by President Rune-Christoffer Dragsdahl.

Announcing the outcome to the Council, Rune-Christoffer Dragsdahl said it was a great pleasure to confirm that Marly now holds the title of Honorary President, with authority to represent IVU at events as invited by the President or the Council. He had earlier told the Council that the conferment served both to recognise Marly's many years of invaluable service in leading IVU and to enable her to continue representing the organisation on international occasions.

Marly Winckler led IVU across two terms, from 2011 to 2014 and from 2018 to 2025, and served as Regional Representative for Latin America and the Caribbean from 2000 to 2016. A sociologist and translator, she founded the Brazilian Vegetarian Society (SVB) in 2003 and was the main organizer of the 36th IVU World Vegetarian Congress in Florianópolis in 2004, the first ever held in Latin America.

Over more than three decades of international involvement with IVU, she has participated in, organized and co-organized numerous World Vegetarian Congresses, World Vegfests, International Vegan Festivals and regional conferences across Latin America, North America, Europe, Africa, Asia and Oceania. She has also represented IVU at major international forums, including COP15 in Copenhagen, and has been a frequent speaker at IVU and regional events. [A detailed chronology of these activities is available here.]

During her leadership, IVU published the Vegan Nutrition Guide for Adults by Dr Eric Slywitch, now available in editions for healthcare professionals and for the general public, and strengthened its international presence through congresses, conferences, publications and cooperation with vegetarian and vegan organisations around the world.

In the discussion preceding the vote, Dr Eric Slywitch, Head of IVU's Department of Medicine and Nutrition, who has worked alongside Marly since the founding of the SVB, described her integrity, her broad vision for coordinating people and public policies, and her ethical conduct in every situation, and called the honour entirely well deserved.

Accepting the title, Marly Winckler wrote to the Council: