15 former Latin American presidents meet in Paraguay to promote regional development and integration

Fifteen former Latin American presidents gathered in Paraguay for the Latin American Forum of Ideas 2023.

The two-day event took place in Luque, near the capital city of Asunción.

The Convention Center of the South American Football Confederation hosted the forum, which commenced with the presence of Paraguayan President Mario Abdo Benítez.

The forum was organized by the Latin American Presidential Mission (MPL), a group of over 30 former regional presidents.

Their objective is to provide recommendations on political and public decisions that strengthen democracy, peace culture, sustainable development, and regional integration.

Throughout the event, former presidents, international speakers, and representatives from more than 20 Latin American countries participated in panels, lectures, and discussions.

Juan Carlos Wasmosy, a co-founder of the MPL and Paraguay’s former president, highlighted the importance of exchanging knowledge and perspectives on the challenges facing Latin America.

He emphasized the need for addressing poverty, unemployment, education, health, and security.

The forum served as a platform for ideas, visions, and proposals from various Latin American countries.

Wasmosy urged attendees to turn shared ideas into concrete actions for the benefit of all citizens.

Discussions during the forum covered topics such as post-pandemic democracy, security, misinformation, indigenous and Afro-descendant rights, economic models, and the role of science, education, culture, and innovation in development.

The second day’s agenda focused on the green recovery, sustainable development, the digital economy, dollarization, social entrepreneurship, migration investment, artificial intelligence, and Latin American integration processes.

Several former presidents participated in the forum, including

• Rafael Calderón of Costa Rica,
• Vinicio Cerezo of Guatemala,
• Raúl Cubas and Luis González Macchi of Paraguay,
• Luis Alberto Lacalle of Uruguay,
• Jamil Mahuad of Ecuador,
• Carlos Mesa of Bolivia, and
• Ernesto Samper of Colombia.

The gathering aimed to foster learning, dialogue, and collaboration for the progress of Latin American nations.