Leonel Fernández Optimistic On Future of Latin America, the Caribbean

New Jersey September 26, 2015 – The president of GFDD/Funglode, Dr. Leonel Fernández, said that he felt optimistic about the ability of Latin America and the Caribbean to overcome the enormous challenges that will face them in the future.

However, Fernández noted that to successfully face these immense challenges, the region of Latin American and Caribbean should consolidate its democracies, reinforce the rule of law, and strengthen respect for human
rights.

Dr. Fernández made the statement during a keynote address that he gave at the School of Diplomacy of Seton Hall University in New Jersey, after signing a memorandum of understanding on the inter-institutional collaboration between the university, Funglode, and the United Nations Association of the Dominican Republic.

In his lecture, the subject of which was “The economic and political future of Latin America and the
Caribbean,” Fernández noted that there are huge threats to Latin American and the Caribbean which, to his understanding, endanger the social, economic, and political achievements of the past decades.

“The current global economic situation has had a negative impact on Latin America, creating a wave of social unrest that has led to protests and political disruption,” the president specified on this subject.

During his speech,
Fernández also recognized that there will always be external factors that are beyond the control of nation states, in particular in developing countries, which depend on the results produced in the developed world. Likewise, he said that despite the huge advancements that have been made in access to education in all of the countries of the region, the quality of teaching remains poor, and because of this, a greater effort is needed in the development of content, teacher training programs,
exchanges and international cooperation.

In the opinion of Dr. Fernández, the region of Latin America and the Caribbean should no longer be a passive consumer of cutting-edge technology; rather, it should have a have a highly-trained workforce capable of innovating and producing products that can be distributed over a global supply network.

He said that to guarantee sustained economic growth and social well-being in the region, key questions must be
taken into account, among which he mentioned the creation of an economic model that increases GDP, productivity and innovation.

The Scope of the Agreement
The agreement signed between the School of Diplomacy at Seton Hall University, Funglode (Fundación Global Democracia y Desarrollo) and the will allow for the creation of special academic programs, designed by institutions with specialists, as well as the printing of publications and
research of interest for all parties, training programs, scholarships, and other combined initiatives.

The agreement also aims to strengthen Funglode’s learning centers and the School of Diplomacy at Seton Hall University.

At the end of the ceremony, the young Dominican student Luis R. Sosa awarded Dr. Fernández with a “token of appreciation” on behalf of the students of the Faculty of Diplomacy and International Relations
to thank him for his visit to the educational institution.

“Please receive this token of appreciation on behalf of the students at the Faculty of Diplomacy and International Relations. We are very happy about the agreement between the Faculty of Diplomacy and Funglode, and we hope that this relationship will be beneficial for both organizations,” Sosa expressed.