• “Latin American Progress, Prosperity and Social Cohesion” Conference
    20.02.2012

    Rubalcaba, Zapatero and the leaders of the main Latin American progressive political parties to participate in the “Latin American Progress, Prosperity and Social Cohesion” Conference

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    The I “Latin American Progress, Prosperity and Social Cohesion” Conference organized by the IDEAS Foundation will bring together leaders from Spain and Latin America, on March 1 and 2 in Madrid, is a step forward for the integration of Latin American to the transatlantic Global Progress program.

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    The gathering will be inaugurated by the Executive Vice President of the IDEAS Foundation, Jesús Caldera, after whom there will be four debate panels with the participation of Marco Aurelio García, Marco Aurélio Garcia, External Relations Adviser to the Brazilian President and Vice President of the Workers Party of Brazil between 2005 and 2010; Álvaro García, Former Minister of Economy of Uruguay; Hugo Carvajal, Former Education Minister of Bolivia, Sigfrido Reyes, President of the Legislative Assembly of El Salvador ; Carolina Tohá, President of Party for Democracy of Chile; Carlos Filizzola, Minister of Home Affairs of Paraguay;  Hermes Binner, leader of the Socialist Party and candidate for the Presidency and the general director of the IDEAS Foundation, Carlos Mulas Granados, among others.
                          
    This event represents a step forward in the consolidation of the Global Progress program promoted and led by the IDEAS Foundation and the American think tank Centre for American Progress as a space for a global project to renew progressive political thinking and policies and create global alliances. After the success of the African Progress Conference in 2010, Latina American Progress aims at expanding the global Progress network to political parties and progressive foundations in this region, with the aim to share ideas and best policy practices in a moment full of unprecedented challenges which requires global and joint answers.

    The debate will be organized around three main topics: “Progressives faced with the regional integration in a global world”, “Progressive thinking and the new economic paradigm” and “Development and social cohesion”

    The first panel will analyze the recent progress made in the regional integration processes in Latin America and the Caribbean and will discuss the different types of existing integrations and how they relate to recent political and economic global changes, what are the main differences of the “new regionalism” compared to the previous integration processes and what implications – benefits and costs- do theses processes have for governments, economic actors, social actors and citizens as a whole. 

    The second panel will discuss the challenges facing the economies of the region in a context of external uncertainties, the possible answers progressive can find to the economic and financial crisis and the necessary agreements, the new rules and institutional reforms necessary to promote a scenario with a new sustainable economic paradigm.

    The third panel will focus on the main challenge facing Latin America: the impact of the crisis on the poverty reduction process and inequality. Despite the fact that the majority of countries in the region have shown symptoms of economic recovery, with reasonable growth expectations and a slight reduction of unemployment rates, the international economic crisis has interrupted the progress made in the fight against poverty, the welfare and social inclusion that were achieved in the region from 2003.