INTERVIEW WITH MR. GUILLERMO ABARACON
Founder and President of the International Leadership Forum of the Americas

¿Qué es precisamente la Agenda de las Américas 2020?

As you witnessed in the Santiago Conference, the Forum aims to go beyond the traditional debate. Here is where result-driven projects come into effect through the implementation of innovative initiatives which promote the modernization of society. There have been cases where leaders have been able to unify different sectors of society, which have opposite interests, under a common objective. The key is not to obtain additional benefits in different sectors, but to acquire the collaboration of society to create projects that generate sustainable growth. Which are these sectors? In our opinion, the business sector, the academic sector, the public sector and the civil sector should have the means to be able to establish themselves exactly where they want to be in the year 2020. This is the reason why we have fashioned the America’s Agenda 2020, an unprecedented, inter-generational challenge for our societies. This agenda will provide young leaders the opportunity to exercise a new leadership that is consistent with their ideals. With the implementation of the Agenda 2020, we would like to identify and instigate the creation of new codes of values and principles which respond to the needs of the present and rise above the perception that young leaders are alienated from the society they already belong to.

In what consist the Preparatory Meeting of Bogotá and the Forum’s Biannual Conference?

The Preparatory Meeting of Bogotá responds to the interest of Colombia’s President, His Excellency Mr. Alvaro Uribe Velez, in the Forum’s initiatives. During the XVI Iberoamerican Summit of Montevideo, I was able to meet with the President of the Republic of Colombia, who offered to host the first National Agenda in Colombia. The objective of the Meeting in Bogotá will be to present the Contract of Generations and the proposal for the Colombian National Agenda 2020. This is the first step toward the Biannual Conference of Santiago de Chile previous to the XVII Iberoamerican Summit which will take place in the abovementioned city. The Biannual Conference, which will be co-hosted by the Organization of Iberoamerican Youth (OIJ), will be where the first outcomes of the Colombia National Agenda 2020 will be presented and where debate on national processes in other countries of the region will originate.

You talk about leaders who were able to unify different sectors of society in an effort to achieve a common objective. Can you cite some concrete examples in Latin America?

A clear example is the role played by the generation of 1989 in Chile. This generation played an important role in the transition towards democracy and rule of law, but most important, it achieved the total modernization of the state and its institutions. However, you can argue that this is a historic event of a political nature which doesn’t illustrate recent and current problems nevertheless we find the same type of leadership in Colombia. August’s meeting will focus on social action and leadership. For example, organizations, such as Venture Colombia, have been rewarding business leaders who support social development through productive projects. These projects provide the marginalized sector with the capacity to self-generate means to increase their incomes. This is the type of leadership that the Forum would like to recognize.

Which are the sectors and institutions that should participate in the Agendas 2020 and, who should take the lead?

Given the historic conjuncture in which our societies live, the biggest challenge is to involve private and public institutions, as well as associations of the productive and labor sector. I would say that this challenge is a priority which goes beyond the ones led by civil society. Here we understood that our most urgent task is to acknowledge that politics should go beyond the political momentum. The National Agendas 2020 seek to prompt and revitalize, through concrete projects, the way of reinventing ethical values of how societies should be. We believe that there is a need to further dignify and value the public formalities by creating alliances with civil society agents from the public and private sector. I am convinced that societies should recognize and stimulate the formation of social capital, as well as its leaders and representatives, who reflect the capacity of exercising leadership in society. To accomplish this, the Contract of Generations, produces the necessary synergy for all generations to contribute with their talents and generate a new platform with the institutional capacity that allows the consolidation of public values and the preservation of a unique and irreplaceable social heritage.

What is the relationship between the Contract of Generations and the Agenda 2020?

The Contract of Generations assumes the important responsibility of making the National Agendas 2020 a reality. I believe that there already exists a clear consensus that we have come to a point in the history of our region where we should leave the old habit, of making everyone accountable for our own faults. Our responsibility is to accept our mistakes, as well as to recognize the successes achieved, in an effort to assume new collective responsibilities. This is even more evident due to the growing interdependence of societies as they become part of the global community. This is how the Contract of Generations was launched in Santiago de Chile, where the Forum gathered prestigious public personalities and prominent leaders of three generations who have been recognized for their work in the region and internationally. This event allowed us to formalize the commitment of outstanding leaders who have been directly involved in the region’s direction, and to bring to open a debate regarding the future of the region, assigning a predominant role to young leaders by envisioning the society they would like to have in the year 2020. Therefore, we would like to invite all young Latin-American and Iberoamerican leaders to become involved in the new dialogue of generations.

What themes should the America’s Agenda 2020 include? What types of societies do we want to build?

In this first encounter, where we launch the abovementioned programs, we determined the most accurate guidelines and themes of what the Agenda 2020 should include. All of these are themes which motivate us and that generate a better fusion at the inter-generational level. These have been summarized in three pillars. The first pillar is the innovation and capacity building for the formation of leadership of new generations. In order to achieve this we need to invest in educational initiatives to generate new and modernizing knowledge. We would need to identify and provide the incentives for the emergence of new leaders in the upcoming projects. The second pillar consists of the values established in all societies, such as trust, commitment, respect for truth and solidarity among others. These themes’ opposite counterparts, such as inequity and corruption, which undermine solidarity and trust, challenge us and motivate us to face our daily struggle. In an effort to assess the importance of the values which give life to our society, we have recently created the Trust Award. I have previously made reference to this theme which I believe is crucial for our present and future success. Finally, we have the third pillar which is the formalization and implementation of the Contract of Generations. As a concept, the contract consists of the idea of a society’s project shared by more than one generation and its people. As you already know, these themes are interrelated. I am referring to the creation and access to knowledge which is essential for this type of collective effort that is no longer responsibility of the state but of the entire society. This is how the contract becomes a fundamental instrument, reason for why we work towards a society which rewards trust – and other fundamental values – in order to be able to truthfully create the new contract of generations. Therefore, our activities in the Forum aim to expand the ability to generate local knowledge by incrementing the capacity to self-manage in order to promote equal opportunities for everyone.

Who leads the implementation of the Agenda 2020?

In reference to the execution of the work plan, I have no doubts that my generation is responsible of reverting the region’s historic debt in favor of the younger generation and offer them our consistent commitment. This commitment includes, not only the financial means, but all the institutional support needed. Lastly, I would like to point out that all of us, who commit ourselves to the Forum’s activities, know that we have to demonstrate this compromise in November of 2007, which is the deadline that we’ve set ourselves to deliver results.

How can young generations benefit from the Forum’s programs?

I estimate that all challenges assume the presence of new leaders, or otherwise we would have to create new actors. When we talk about who is part of the Agenda 2020 there is a unanimous answer by the three generations: “the doors are open to all who want to assume these responsibilities individually or collectively”. We need to assure that all who are summoned have the possibility of presenting their vision, projects and ideals.

How do you transfer ideas to concrete actions?

Without a doubt, we need referential projects that reflect that our societies, in many part of the region, are changing. This is necessary so people can feel identifies with the goals achieved. Based on what we have already done, we would like to encourage the generation of new projects, not only to support our work in the Agenda 2020, but to demonstrate that we can revert the processed that hinder the advancement towards a more equitable society.

How can you make young generations become involved in the modernization of their countries’ societies? How will young generations today become leaders of tomorrow?

There is no doubt that the direct participation of the new generation is a key factor in achieving a profound and long-lasting modernization of participating institutions. What are the institutions? The term goes far beyond physical organizations. They are the structures and mechanisms of social order and cooperation which governs societal behavior. The institutions transcend human lives and intentions by being a permanent social purpose which rules social conduct through the elaboration and implementations of regulations. Therefore, the National Agendas 2020 are a renewed challenge to young generations to become a pro-active strength in directing their society. This way, they would not have to rely, like it has occurred in past years, on informal means to carry out their commitment to social justice or debate on the policies that directly affect them and prevent them from becoming entrepreneurial agents. We all know that there is one society, the form and ability to join criteria towards one shared vision is exceptional and determinant for long-term success.  

Is it possible to encompass the entire region? Isn’t this an ambitious task?

Evidently, our wish is that all the countries in the region participate in this endeavor, but it would be a utopia to believe that we can achieve this overnight. Here is where the National Agendas plan a preponderant role. The Iberoamerican Summit, developed in 2006, allowed us to prove that countries like Chile and Colombia, as expressed by their respective Heads of State, have the personal desire to actively participate in the Agenda 2020. In fact, we have planned that the first National Agendas take place in these countries and we have the support, not only of their respective governments but of numerous interested institutions which want to assure the success of these programs. It will be an experience from which we will gather all the necessary conclusions to replicate this procedure in other countries of Iberoamerica.