Ibero American Democratic Forum 2010

The closure of the event was in charge of Eduardo Frei Ruiz Tagle, former President of Chile, and previously the speakers were journalist Claudio Paolillo, jurist Daniel Sabsay, politician and diplomat Ricardo Lafferriere, Dr. Hilda Molina and economist Ricardo López Murphy.

Before the begining of XX Ibero-American Summit, in Mar del Plata, Argentina, CADAL organzied an event to analyze "Ibero-America and the democratic commitment". The closure of the event was in charge of Eduardo Frei Ruiz Tagle, former President of Chile, and previously the speakers were journalist Claudio Paolillo, jurist Daniel Sabsay, politician and diplomat Ricardo Lafferriere, Dr. Hilda Molina and economist Ricardo López Murphy. The activity was sponsored by Konrad Adenauer Stiftung (Argentina), Corporación Justicia y Democracia (Chile), Instituto Millenium (Brazil), Observatorio Hannah Arendt (Venezuela), Fundamedios (Ecuador), Instituto Peruano de la Economía Social de Mercado (Peru) and Unión Colombiana de Jóvenes Demócratas (Colombia). The media partners of the event were Apertura magazine and the newspaper El Cronista Comercial.

The Forum was organized at Sheraton Buenso Aires Hotel & Convention Center and the speakers referred to the following subjects: The summits and their declarations have been of any use to strengthen the democratic culture of Ibero-America? What can the Organziation of Ibero-American States do to harmonize the respect for rule of law, the change in power, free speech and economic policies that contribute to growth and the reduce of poverty? Should OEI establish a democratic clause as a condition necessary to participate in the Ibero-American Summits? 

Claudio Paolillo is Director of the weekly "Búsqueda", from Uruguay. He is Chairman of the Commission of Freedom of Expression of the Inter American Press Association. He is author of the best seller "Con los días contados", a book that analyzes the crisis in Uruguay between 2001 and 2002. Paolillo began in journalism when he was 17 years old and has worked for several media outlets in Uruguay, among them: “El Día”, “Tiempo de Cambio”, “Opinar”, “Convicción”, Agence France Presse, CX-30 La Radio, CX-14 El Espectador and Emisora del Palacio. He was associated cathedratic  of Journalism at ORT University in Uruguay, where in 1998 he was recognized with the award for "Teaching excellence".

Daniel Sabsay is a lawyer and has a graduate title in Law at Universtité de Droit, d'' Economie et de Sciences Sociales de París (Paris II). He is head professor of Constitutional Law at Universidad de Buenos Aires. He has served as consultant at different national and international entities, such as Consejo Federal de Inversiones, ECLAC, National Congress, World Bank and UNDP, among others. Since its creation in 1985 he is member of Fundación Ambiente y Recursos Naturales (FARN). As a professor he has specialized in environment law and Argentine and compared constitutional law, teaching in different universities in Argentina and the world.

Among his publications are "El Parlamentarismo en América", "El Federalismo Argentino y la Descentralización" at Descentralización Política y Consolidación Democrática, “Sobre los Derechos Humanos en la Constitución: Germán Bidart Campos, Ideologías Políticas y Ciencias Sociales - La experiencia del Pensamiento Social Argentino (1955-1995)”, and "La Constitución de los Argentinos. Análisis y comentario de su texto luego de la reforma de 1994". He has received numerous acknowledgements and awards like Caballero de la Orden Nacional del Mérito ''in recognitino for his valious contribution to French culture and the improvement of its political institutions''; the acknowledgement of PRODIS ''for his work'', and the Buenos Aires Award by PEN Club, among others. He is member of Academia Argentina de Ciencias del Ambiente, the Law Commission of Unión Internacional para la Conservación de la Naturaleza and Instituto Iberoamericano de Derecho Constitucional.

Ricardo Lafferriere is lawyer. In his political activity, began as a reformist militant, he served as Local Legislator in his village - Nogoyá, Entre Ríos; Federal Senator in two opportunities and Congressman, always representing UCR. His last public office was as Argentine Ambassador in Spain between 2000 and 2002. He is author of the following books among others: “La Argentina en el mundo globalizado”, “Argentina, un país preconstituyente”, “La batalla del campo – La mecha que encendió el futuro” and “Bicentenario, modernidad y posmodernidad – La Argentina en su tercer siglo”, recently published.

Hilda Molina was born in Camagüey, Cuba. She is a medical doctor, graduated with the best average score at Universidad de La Habana. She is specialized in Neurosurgery, with Excellent expedient at Instituto Nacional de Neurología y Neurocirugía. More over she specializes in neurological recovery. Researcher at Academia de Ciencias de Cuba. She accomplished a Medical Mission as neurosurgeon in Algeria (1980-83).

She was founder of Escuela Cubana y Latinoamericana de Restauración Neurológica. By her initiative, the Centro Internacional de Restauración Neurológica (CIREN) is created, being designed, established, founded and manager by her, achieving great national and international prestige. She is author of several scientific works, published by national and international specialized publications. She participated as speaker in scientific events, work visits and academic exchange as a professor for conferences and seminars in universities and institutions in United States, France, Spain, Italy, Germany, Sweden, England, among other European and Latin American countries.

She was named Honored Citizen of Kansas City, United States. She received the most significant decorations given to scientists and women in Cuba. Because of her scientific merits she was elected member of the Cuban Parliament in 1993. In 1994, after a long process of discussion with the ruling authorities, she resigned by her own decision to everything that linked her to the Cuban regime, including to her condition of representative. She resigned because the government wanted to turn the Medical Center she created into an institution only for foreigners who paid in dollars, with the subsequent discrimination towards Cuban patients. Also, in protest, she returned all the decorations she had received.

After several years claiming the permit of going out of Cuba, in June 2009 she was able to travel to Argentina, to meet with her family and know her grandchildren.

Ricardo López Murphy holds a BA in Economics from Universidad de La Plata and a Masters of Arts in Economics from University of Chicago. He was chief economist of Fundación de Investigaciones Económicas Latinoamericanas (FIEL) during the '90. On 1997 he founded Fundación Cívico Republicana, a non-profit organization focused on the strengthening of Argentine democracy through the study and analysis of political, social and institutional issues.

He served as consultant of the International Monetary Fund, UNDP, World Bank, Inter-American Development Bank, and ECLAC, and consultant of the Central Bank of Uruguay. Consultant and economic advisor of companies, international investors and financial institutions from Argentina and Latin America. He is author and co-author of several technical books related to Political Economics and Public Finances in Argentina and other Latin American countries.

He was Minister of Defense of Argentina from december 1999 till march 2001; Minister of Economics and Infraestructure of Argentina on march 2001. He was presidential candidate from Movimiento Federal Recrear for the elections of march 2003 and october 2007. At the end of 2008 he created Corriente de Convergencia Federal, his new politicl party, where there are congressmen, legislators and local legislators from all over the country. Currently he heads Fundación Cívico Republicana, where he is working in the elaboration of public policies projects.

Eduardo Frei Ruiz-Tagle is a Civil Engineer with specializtion on Hidraulics from Universidad de Chile and then he studied Administration and Management in Italy. From 1969 until 1988 he developed in the private sector. His political life began on 1958 when he became part of the Christian Democrat party.

During his university studies he was a student militant and accompanied his father in the campaign that took him to the presidency of Chile on 1964. After the death of his father, on January 1982, he created Fundación Eduardo Frei Montalva, political and academic institution that he chaired until april 1993.

During the military dictatorship he was one of the promoters of the Comité Pro Elecciones Libres and participated in the campaign for "No" in the plebiscit of October 5, 1988. In the presidential and parliamentary elections of December 14, 1989 he was elected senator with the first majority of the country. In november 1991 he was elected, with more than the 70 percent of the votes, as Chairman of Partido Demócrata Cristiano.

On December 11, 1993 he was elected President of Chile for a six years period with 57,9 percent of the votes, the highest historial majority. In the parliamentary elections on december 2005 he became senator. On march 11, 2006 he asumes as a senator and is elected Chairman of the Senate. On 2009 he represents Concertación de Partidos por la Democracia in the presidential elections. He was defeated on the ballotage by businessman Sebastián Piñera. On that opportunity, Frei Ruiz-Tagle obtained 48 percent of the votes.

He is member of the Executive Committee of Club de Madrid and participates as permanent speaker of the Annual Assemmbly of Inter American Development Bank (IADB). He is Doctor Honoris Causa by University of Boston, United States; Universidad Santo Tomás de Aquino from Manila, Philipines; Universidad Nacional de Malasia, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia; Universidad de Buenos Aires, Argentina; Universidad Central, Santiago, Chile; Georgetown University, Washington, United States; Universidad de la Sorbonne, Paris, France; Universidad de Panamá, Panama; and Universidad Tecnológica de Cracovia, Poland. Besides he was distinguished as Doctor in Law by University of Calgary, Canada; and received a Doctor Honoris Causa on International Relations by Universidad de Bogotá “Jorge Tadeo Lozano”, Colombia.

Historian Ricardo López Göttig, Claudio Paolillo and lawyer Marcelo Loprete.

Businessmen Horacio Reyser and Luis Ricci with Hilda Molina, Ricardo Lafferriere and Stepan Zajac, Czech Ambassador in Argentina.

Businessman Raúl Zorzón with Bernd Löhmann, Officer in Argentina of Konrad Adenauer Stiftung.

Eduardo Frei, former President of Chile and businessman Luis Ricci.

Constitutionalist Daniel Sabsay and Gabriel Salvia, CADAL's General Director.