26th Annual CAF Conference
The 26th edition of the Annual CAF Conference will be hosted on June 1st & 2nd, 2023, in which leaders from across the Americas will discuss the region's main challenges on a global stage.
Established in 1997 as a joint initiative with the Inter-American Dialogue and the Organization of American States, the Annual CAF Conference is the primary hemispheric forum for participants to debate and analyze the major political, economic, and social trends in Latin America and the Caribbean.
*The event will be broadcast on this site
Topics
Agenda
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Conference Introductory Remarks
- Christian Asinelli Corporate Vicepresident of Strategic Programming, CAF -Development Bank of Latin America and the Caribbean-
- Nestor Mendez Assistant Secretary General, Organization of American States
- Rebecca Bill Chavez President & CEO, Inter-American Dialogue
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An Inside Look at the Cities Summit of the Americas: Fireside Chat with the Mayors
Moderator: Rebecca Bill Chavez | President & CEO, Inter-American Dialogue
- Nina Hachigian US Special Representative for City and State Diplomacy
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Session I – Is LAC Prepared for Another Pandemic?
Moderator: Pablo Bartol | Manager for Social and Human Development, CAF – Development Bank of Latin America-
Despite Latin America and the Caribbean making up less than 10% of the world's population, the region accounted for more than 25% of worldwide deaths from the Covid-19 pandemic. While there was momentum gained for health agendas during the pandemic, in the post-pandemic period, the attention to improving healthcare systems has rapidly diminished. This panel will examine the shifts in healthcare policy, as well as the outcomes from pandemic policy implementations. The panel will highlight how countries in the Western Hemisphere can develop a cooperative policy agenda for global health emergency preparedness in the future.
- Brian Nichols Assistant Secretary of State for Western Hemisphere Affairs, U.S. Department of State
- Felicia Knaul Director of the Institute for Advanced Study of the Americas, University of Miami
- Beatriz Londoño Former Minister of Health and Social Protection, Colombia
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Keynote Dialogue: Perspectives From the U.S. National Security Council
Moderator: Gabriela Frias, Business Anchor, CNN en Español
- Juan Gonzalez Senior Director for the Western Hemisphere, National Security Counci
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Session II – Funding the Fight Against Climate Change
Moderator: Alicia Montalvo | Manager of Climate Action and Positive Biodiversity, CAF-Development Bank of Latin America
Multilateral development banks (MDBs) play a critical role in the fight against climate change. This panel will discuss the call for reforming MDBs so that they adjust their incentives and operating models to address the needs of a warmer globe. Panelists will examine the unique nature of the energy transition for LAC and how MDB’s can continue developing products and solutions through green finance and other creative methods.
- Genevieve Connors Practice Manager for Environment, Natural Resources, and the Blue Economy in the LAC Region, World Bank
- Hilen Meirovich Climate Change Head, IDB Invest
- Daniela Stevens Director of the Energy Transition and Climate Program, Inter-American Dialogue
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Welcome Remarks and Recap
- Thomas Shannon Co-chair of the Inter-American Dialogue, former U.S. Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs
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Keynote Address: The Future of the Inter-American System: Old and New Challenges
- Laura Chinchilla Former President, Costa Rica; Co-Chair, Inter-American Dialogue
- Frank Mora U.S. Ambassador to the Organization of American States
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Session III – Making Migration and Growth Work Together
Moderator: Manuel Orozco | Director, Migration and Remittances Program, Inter-American Dialogue
This panel will discuss how continued migration in the Americas deepens economic ties and the way these activities can be leveraged to improve competitiveness strengthening payment networks, attracting investments in housing and businesses, particularly by bringing new players and enabling economic environments in major locations of economic activity.
- How are countries addressing global market integration through migration and how are they leveraging it for economic growth?
- How are cities looking at enabling environments to capitalize on migration and immigration given these engagements?
- Looking at digitalization, connectivity, transnational engagement between migrants and their home countries and how best to leverage those opportunities
- Kelly Gallego Executive President, Abracam
- Sergio Sagastume CEO, Amigo Paisano
- Andrew Selee President, Migration Policy Institute
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Session IV – Women’s Economic Empowerment- Fostering an Equitable and Inclusive Digital Economy
Moderator: Ana María Baiardi | Manager of Gender, Inclusion and Diversity, CAF-Development Bank of Latin America
Panel will focus on fostering women’s inclusion in the digital transformation, touching on the need and overall benefits to the hemisphere. Panel will discuss methods to bridge the digital divide (digital upskilling, online financial management services/social services, entrepreneurship programs, etc.) and their immpact.
- Mariana Costa Co-founder & CEO, Laboratoria
- Tania Banens Vice President, Products, Sustainability, Financial Inclusion & Innovation, Mastercard
- Priscila Villanueva Specialist in Digital Transformation, LEAD University in Costa Rica
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Session V – Bolstering Democratic Governance Through Foreign Policy
Moderator: Rebecca Bill Chavez | President & CEO, Inter-American Dialogue
Political polarization and social protests have taken place in countries throughout Western Hemisphere in recent years in response to rising poverty, inequality, corruption, and impunity. These factors, together with new pressures related to the Covid-19 pandemic, have contributed directly to a general deterioration and weakening of the structures of governance in the region. Without serious and consistent efforts to improve the quality and capacity of governance in the Americas, and to address deep corruption and impunity, it is likely that further instability and even violence could result. This panel, featuring senior experts from the region on rule of law and anti-corruption, will examine the risks of further deterioration of governance and governability in the region, with a focus on how proactive efforts to strengthen rule of law and combat corruption can help to lower these risks.
- Antonia Urreloja Former Foreign Minister, Chile
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Closing Remarks
The purpose of this panel is to hear from young leaders about their concerns and perspectives on the possibilities, or realistic approaches for Latin America’s youth to reconcile their interests and needs with the realities that surround them. The generation of young Latin American and Caribbean citizens is driven by the same needs and desires of success of living in a modern and sustainable society. Although they are the most important and productive sector of the labor force, they are faced by hard circumstances making it more difficult to seek success or sustainability: they are hard pressed by an informal economy not offering opportunities of upward mobility, by limited [public or private] investments in their human capital, by an increasingly unsustainable environment, and often living in places where the rule of law does not work in their favor. The panel will aim at answering questions on these issues, for example:
- What opportunities can youth craft for themselves for a better region?
- What kind of investments of scale should the international community consider in accelerating the closing of this gap?
- Are there partnerships that youth should be seeking to form with national and international actors?
- Sergio Díaz-Granados Executive President, CAF -Development Bank of Latin America and the Caribbean-
Factsheets
Moderators
Rebecca Bill Chavez
President & CEO, Inter-American Dialogue
Pablo Bartol
Manager for Social and Human Development, CAF – Development Bank of Latin America and the Caribbean-; Former Minister of Social Development, Uruguay
Alicia Montalvo
Manager for Climate Action and Positive Biodiversity, CAF-Development Bank of Latin America and the Caribbean-
Ana María Baiardi
Manager for Gender, Inclusion and Diversity, CAF-Development Bank of Latin America and the Caribbean-
Manuel Orozco
Director, Migration and Remittances Program, Inter-American Dialogue
Andrea Bernal
News Anchor and reporter, NTN24
Gabriela Frías
Journalist for CNN en Español
Speakers
Laura Chinchilla
Former President, Costa Rica; Co-Chair, Inter-American Dialogue
Sergio Díaz-Granados
Executive President, CAF -Development Bank of Latin America and the Caribbean-
Rebecca Bill Chavez
President & CEO, Inter-American Dialogue
Thomas Shannon
Co-chair of the Inter-American Dialogue, former U.S. Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs
Christian Asinelli
Corporate Vicepresident of Strategic Programming, CAF -Development Bank of Latin America and the Caribbean-
Frank Mora
U.S. Ambassador to the Organization of American States
Nina Hachigian
US Special Representative for City and State Diplomacy
Felicia Knaul
Director of the Institute for Advanced Study of the Americas, University of Miami
Beatriz Londoño
Former Minister of Health and Social Protection, Colombia
Brian Nichols
Assistant Secretary of State for Western Hemisphere Affairs, U.S. Department of State
Genevieve Connors
Practice Manager for Environment, Natural Resources, and the Blue Economy in the LAC Region, World Bank
Hilen Meirovich
Climate Change Head, IDB Invest
Daniela Stevens
Director of the Energy Transition and Climate Program, Inter-American Dialogue
Kelly Gallego
Executive President, Abracam
Andrew Selee
President, Migration Policy Institute
Mariana Costa
Co-founder & CEO, Laboratoria
Tania Banens
Vice President, Products, Sustainability, Financial Inclusion & Innovation, Mastercard
Antonia Urreloja
Former Foreign Minister, Chile
Sergio Sagastume
CEO, Amigo Paisano
Juan Gonzalez
Senior Director for the Western Hemisphere, National Security Counci
Nestor Mendez
Assistant Secretary General, Organization of American States