Miami, Nov. 4, 2021 – Miami Dade College (MDC) will once again host former heads of state from Latin America and Spain who will convene for the 6th Annual Presidential Dialogue, a program that analyzes top global, hemispheric events, with former leaders from Latin America, Europe, and other parts of the globe. This year’s summit will be virtual on Tuesday, Nov. 16, from 9 a.m. – 1 p.m., and feature two panel discussions under the theme “Is There an Atlantic Identity for Freedom in the Digital Era?” The forum will be in Spanish only.
“As one of the leading and most diverse higher education institutions for Hispanics in the country, Miami Dade College is proud to continue to be the meeting point of this very important forum featuring leaders from Latin America and Spain to analyze and discuss issues that affect the region,” said MDC President Madeline Pumariega.
Organized by the Mezerhane Endowed Chair at MDC, Iniciativa Democrática de España y las Americas (IDEA) and Instituto Atlántico de Gobierno, the forum will discuss how Latin America, with an agenda based on the protection and respect for democracy, liberty, economic and institutional stability, individual rights and freedoms, will leverage digital technology to achieve regional growth, while maintaining its commitment to social initiatives and connection.
The first panel (9:30 – 11 a.m.) will be “The Atlantic Identity 4.0/5.0: Latin America’s Approximation to Global Topics” by Spain’s ex-president Jose María Aznar. Panelists include Laura Chinchilla of Costa Rica; Argentina’s Mauricio Macri; Ecuador’s Jamil Mahuad; Bolivia’s Jorge “Tuto” Quiroga; Colombia’s Álvaro Uribe; and Universidad Central de Venezuela’s (UCV) Professor Emeritus, José Rafael Herrera. NTN24’s Content Director, Idania Chirinos will moderate.
In the second panel (11 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.) Colombia’s Vice President and Minister of Foreign Affairs, Marta Lucia Ramirez, will deliver the lecture “Are We Moving Toward a Multilateralism of Growth in Freedom?” Panelists include Latin American ex-presidents Luis Federico Franco, Paraguay; Osvaldo Hurtado, Ecuador; Carlos Mesa, Bolivia; Andrés Pastrana, Colombia; Miguel Ángel Rodríguez, Costa Rica and Enrique Bolaños, head of INCAE Business School. Journalist Maibort Petit, will moderate.
Special guests include President Pumariega; Secretary General of the Organization of American States (OAS) Luis Almagro; the president of the Mezerhane Group and editorial director of Diario Las Américas newspaper, Dr. Nelson J. Mezerhane; and the executive director of IDEA and MDC visiting professor Dr. Asdrúbal Aguiar.
For more information about the forum, please contact Pamela Fuertes at pfuertes@mdc.edu.
WHAT: 6th Annual Presidential Dialogue at MDC
WHEN: Tuesday, Nov. 16, 9 a.m. – 1 p.m.
WHERE: Virtual Event. Register at https://tinyurl.com/3t8a29mr