The future of local management, a debate in Georgetown

Young leaders of different Latin American countries got together in the meeting "Building communities in Latin America", held in Washington, D.C., to discuss about the main challenges of urban development and local management. 

In addition to the members of the #JovenCAF Program, the meeting included the participation of Soledad Núñez, Minister of Housing and Habitat of Paraguay, Daniela Chacón, former Vice Mayor of the city of Quito (Ecuador), and Mauricio Gómez, member of the Chamber of Representatives of Colombia and of the Andean Parliament. 

The conversation, organized jointly by The Latin American Policy Association (LAPA), the Latin American Board at Georgetown University, and CAF, Development Bank of Latin America, was moderated by Leandro Gorgal, Principal Executive at CAF, and included the participation of close to 20 post-graduate students from Georgetown University. 

The first speaker, Soledad Núñez, reviewed the main subjects of the new urban agenda facing the Habitat III meeting, a United Nations Conference on housing and sustainable urban development to be held in Quito, Ecuador, in October. In addition, she highlighted the importance of getting involved in public management to be protagonists of the region's change and development: "we, as youths, have to leave the comfort of criticizing from the stands and play the game from the inside".  

Daniela Chacón shared her experiences in the management of the capital city of Ecuador, and spoke about the difficult task of implementing efficient mechanisms for inter-jurisdictional coordination. Mauricio Gómez talked about his vision regarding the contribution of the peace process in Colombia to the development of the most disadvantaged regions of the country, as well as to the political-social stability of the continent. 

The #JovenCAF Program seeks to encourage the creation of a network of Latin American leaders that promote the exchange of ideas and the construction of alliances and interpersonal strengths. For this purpose, national, regional, and global meetings are developed to bring together emerging models from the political, economic, social, and cultural sectors, to debate about the regional reality and about each country.