The challenges that Latin America faces at the political, economic, educational, environmental, migratory or security levels will be analyzed by international experts this Thursday and Friday in New York at the Global Forum for Latin America and the Caribbean 2022.
The meeting, which will take place virtually and in person, will bring together former presidents of the region such as Costa Rican Laura Chinchilla and Dominican Leonel Fernández, ministers such as Finance and Public Credit of Colombia, José Antonio Ocampo, and representatives of international institutions, among others, according to a statement from the organizers.
It is an event to analyze the reality of the region organized by the Global Foundation for Democracy and Development (Funglode) headed by former Dominican President Leonel Fernández, together with its sister institution in the United States, the Global Foundation for Democracy and Development (GFDD), and the International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance (IDEA).
In the two days of the forum, which will be opened by Fernández and the former Second Vice President of Costa Rica and Secretary of International IDEA, Kevin Casas-Zamora, there will be seven panels and five talks.
The first day will begin with the panel “Global threats, repercussions and opportunities for progress”, in which Laura Chinchilla will participate; the main economist and head of the Country Risk Service for Latin America and the Caribbean of The Economist Intelligence Unit, Robert Wood; the president and executive director of the Economy and Development Foundation of the Dominican Republic, Andy Dauhajre, and the professor of the Center for Economic Research and Teaching (CIDE) of Mexico, Raúl Féliz
Another debate will address the “Regional situation: economic reactivation, inflation and social tensions” and will include, among others, the interim executive secretary of the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC), Mario Cimoli, and the director of the The Economic Development Division of that organization, Daniel Titelman, joins the chief economist for Latin America and the Caribbean of the United Nations Development Program (UNDP), Marcela Meléndez.
Other panels will deal with “Citizen Security: between crime prevention, justice and police reform”, “Higher education, science, technology and innovation: building a common space of knowledge” and “Elections and polarization in Brazil”.
The deputy secretary general of the Organization of Ibero-American States (OEI) for Education, Science and Culture, Andrés Delich, and the director of Education and Skills and special adviser on Educational Policy of the secretary general of the Organization for Cooperation and Economic Development (OECD), Andreas Schleicher, will speak, among others, on “K-12 Education: challenges, trends and future perspectives.”
On “Democratic challenges: governance, social unrest, social networks and freedom of expression” will speak, among others, the regional director of UN Women for the Americas and the Caribbean, María Noel Vaeza, or the deputy director for the Americas of the Human Rights organization Watch, Tamara Taraciuk.
In the first of the talks, on the 22nd, “Challenges and opportunities of the new government of President Petro”, his Minister of Finance and Public Credit, Ocampo, will intervene.
Inequality in the region, the migration crisis in Latin America, climate change and the future of the Constituent Assembly in Chile will also be discussed.
The final reflections of the meeting will be given by Leonel Fernández and the regional director for Latin America and the Caribbean of International IDEA, Daniel Zovatto.
The Global Forum has been held since 2018, although in 2020 it could not take place due to the pandemic.