The Global South gathers strength from the north

From the north, the vision of Latin America starts to be seen in another dimension, and "The Global South" is no longer a concept but rather the central topic in the II Conference of CAF, Development Bank of Latin America, and the London School of Economics (LSE), held last Friday in London. 

Former President of Chile, Ricardo Lagos, stated, "I Prefer a Global South looking north, integrated by China and India, as they are developing just like Latin America", setting the tone for what would be a day with a large presence of relevant personalities in world politics and academia. 

Lagos, President of Chile between 2000 and 2006, spoke about Latin America's position in this scenario. "The world has recognized Latin America's role through the G-20, where there are currently three Latin American countries, but it will be more significant when they come with a mandate of the rest of the countries", he stated.   

In his opening speech, Enrique Garcia, CAF's Executive President, indicated, "the problems of Latin America are rooted in what happens in the world". Garcia analyzed the current dynamics of emerging countries and the impact on the configuration of the new world order. Garcia stated that the role of development banks such as CAF must go beyond financing projects and initiatives. They must promote and share "knowledge that will help the countries implement their development strategies", he concluded. 

The different panelists addressed subjects that range from geopolitics and the changing patterns of multilateralism, to development and security. Speakers included Dan Restrepo, former advisor of President Obama and Director of the National Security Council of the United States for Western Hemisphere Affairs. Restrepo recognized the importance of Mexico's role for the United States, and added "it is key to understand not only the relationship between the global south and traditional powers, but also between the southern countries". 

Other speakers included Jose Antonio Ocampo, former Finance Minister of Colombia; Guillermo Fernandez de Soto, former Foreign Relations Minister of Colombia and Director of CAF's office in Europe; Didier Opertti, former Foreign Relations Minister of Uruguay; and Jose Miguel Insulza, Secretary General of the OAS. Insulza took the scourge of drugs to the economic arena, stating, "It has a high cost for our region, and we must pay close attention to the subject". 

"Inequality is the main obstacle to reach the potential of the Atlantic Basin", expressed former President of the Government of Spain Jose Maria Aznar, in his closing speech for this conference, which sought to promote reflection on the current dynamics of the emerging countries in the configuration of a new international order. 

The meeting was transmitted live via livestreaming and could be followed in the social networks with the hashtag #CAFLSE.

To watch the videos of the panels and conferences, visit www.caf.com/caf-lse-2015