Migration, climate change top agenda for the UM annual conference

The Concordia Americas Summit, a premier two-day international forum discussing critical issues affecting Latin America, the Caribbean and the United States, convened for its third year on Monday at the University of Miami at Lakeside Village.

Entering its eighth year, Concordia Americas brings together a wide range of decision makers, thought leaders and politicians to create dialogue on topics ranging from climate change, immigration and the state of democracy across the region.

“As a premier gathering for thought leaders on critical challenges and opportunities facing the Western Hemisphere, I am pleased to welcome the Concordia Americas Summit back to Miami and our university,” President Julio Frenk said in a statement to UM Communications.

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“The summit provides a unique opportunity to foster necessary conversations, collaboration and partnerships among the private, public and nonprofit sectors on a variety of topics, including the state of our democracies, environmental sustainability, healthcare challenges and emerging technologies . ”

The summit is hosted at UM with the support of trustee emeritus Jose Bared and the Bared Family Foundation, making the university the center of the Americas Summit until 2025.

Panels on the agenda for this year’s conference include “The Role of Migration in Building Inclusive and Prosperous Societies,” “Next Chapter: US-Latin America Relations in a Biden or Trump Administration,” Leading the way to sustainability in Latin America and the Caribbean,” and more.

These issues are of primary importance at the event given the significant increase in Latin American immigration to the US in recent years, as well as the growing impact of climate change in cities such as Miami and other Latin American coastal areas.

The 2024 lineup features many more prominent politicians compared to the previous two years at UM, including Miami-Dade County Mayor Daniella Levine Cava, Florida Senator Marco Rubio, U.S. Representative Debbie Wasserman Schultz, New York Mayor Eric Adams, South Carolina Senator Lindsey Graham and more.

Courtesy of the Miami-Dade Mayor’s Office

Several international politicians and representatives will also be in attendance, including former President of Colombia Iván Duque and former President of Bolivia Jorge Quiroga, among other prominent representatives.

A particularly interesting guest who will be in attendance will also be former President of Ecuador Jamil Mahuad, especially given the recent political unrest in the country that has prompted countries such as Mexico and Nicaragua to sever diplomatic ties with the government.

Students planning to attend the summit are ready for the opportunity to hear from national and international leaders on the issues they care about most, and say they hope the dialogue at the event will deepen their understanding of partnerships between will enrich the US and Latin American countries.

“Given all the work we do on campus in community engagement, namely the study of bipartisanship, I am truly so excited to have the opportunity to interact with individuals whose lives have the potential to make a real positive to have an impact, not just America, but Latin America,” said Emily Danzinger, a junior at UM who plans to attend the conference this year.

“These individuals are the pioneers responsible for improving millions of lives, and it is an absolute honor to cross paths with them.”

In addition to the main stage discussions, the summit will host roundtable sessions with faculty and campus leaders from various disciplines, including sociology professor Alejandro Portes and director of the Institute for Advanced Study of the Americas Felicia Knaul.

The conference also offers several networking opportunities, and some students have been invited to participate in guest lectures and meetings, as well as a networking lunch with members of the Concordia Leadership Council, UM Fulbright Scholars and alumni.

“The University of Miami is uniquely located on the border between the United States and Latin America, and it is great for our school to host this gathering of our hemisphere’s leaders,” said Randy Fitzgerald, a graduate student who as one of the few invited. the selective networking opportunities.

“I look forward to hearing from our prestigious speakers on strategies to promote economic development, increase climate resilience and strengthen the rule of law.”

Ultimately, when the Concordia Americas Summit returns to UM, collaboration and innovation will once again be at the forefront of U.S. and Latin American policymakers, with organizers hoping it creates real avenues for progress between the two regional neighbors.

“The Americas Summit provides a forum for the university and the South Florida community to deepen their ties to the region,” said Bared. “These conversations are a means to an end – a strategic investment in our future and the university’s role in devising solutions to pressing regional and global challenges.”

The story was originally published by The Miami Hurricane, the student newspaper of the University of Miami in Coral Gables, as part of an editorial content partnership with the WLRN newsroom.