CAF organizes the I Meeting of National Leaders in Spain

CAF, Development Bank of Latin America, organized this meeting in the framework of its #JovenCAF Program (Youth CAF Program), which organizes meetings in member countries with the objective of getting young leaders together to listen to their opinions and learn about their visions regarding different subjects related with the country and the Latin American region. This meeting, held in Madrid, includes the participation of 20 young professionals from institutions with which CAF maintains a close relationship, from diverse sectors such as the academic and research world, public administration, communications, private enterprise, foundations, finances, and international affairs. 

Guillermo Fernández de Soto, CAF's Director for Europa, greeted the participants and highlighted the Institution's role as a promoter of dialogue and knowledge with these types of initiatives that analyze subjects associated to development. Christian Asinelli, CAF's Director for Institutional Development, spoke to the students and highlighted that this I Meeting of National Leaders creates ties that promote relationships between a new generation of individuals that have a strong leadership in their respective areas. "To support emerging and democratic leaderships is a strategic and cross-cutting subject for the programs and projects that we promote in CAF's member countries. With these types of activities we seek to promote a debate that generates more interaction among the participants, and progress in their countries.  

After this introduction, Emma Navarro, President of the Instituto de Crédito Oficial (ICO) (Official Credit Institute), highlighted in her presentation that the current challenges to which our modern societies are faced, are inserted in an international context and, therefore, the leaders need adequate capacities to face them. From her experience, she shared the characteristics that a good leader should have.  

Teachers Ludolfo Paramio and Carlos Malamud offered introductory presentations regarding the current political situation in Spain, and the implications of the end of bipartisanship, as well as the status of the relations between Europe and Latin America, and the opportunities and challenges that it faces, respectively.  

These presentations gave way to a discussion that generated ideas and opinions, and brought attention to the Spanish political scenario. A variety of analysis dealt with current subjects such as political fragmentation, the crisis of values affecting contemporary societies, and the difficulties to reach agreements that facilitate the country's governance. These observations also considered the international sphere because, for the participants, the internal instability complicates relations with other regions and countries, By promoting this initiative, CAF configures valuable spaces for debate which, with the exchange of experiences, contributes to the development of its member countries, and shows itself as an essential player acting as a bridge to unite the Ibero-American communities, promoting interaction between national leaders from both sides of the Atlantic. 

The #JovenCAF Program, which started in 2010, accompanies the development of new leaderships in the region by means of a shared agenda with subjects of mutual interest that contribute to coordinate the different efforts and actions that are being developed in each shareholder country. In the past two years, fifteen national meetings have been held in CAF member countries, with the participation of 500 youths. The debates in these meetings confirm the importance of the role of youths in the construction of the present and the future of the region.