28/03/2012
http://prensa.fundacionfaes.org/2012/MARZO/555.jpg! Jos? Mar?a Aznar, who writes the foreword, and Jos? Manuel Garc?a-Margallo, will participate in the event Former Foreign Affairs Ministers P?rez-Llorca, Matutes, Piqu? and Palacio, Cuban dissidents and Venezuelan opposition will also attend the launch The report will be presented to Rajoy, as well as in countries in Latin America, Europe and the United States The text promotes the joining of the akin around the common ideas of democracy and freedom Today, Latin America is more prosperous, more democratic, and has the opportunity of consolidating its development Over 1400 people and 100 institutions from Spain and Latin America have contributed to its drafting This report updates and extends the one published in 2007, launched in 18 countries and which has become a reference document Madrid, 28.03.12.- The Foundation for Social Studies and Analyses FAES will launch next April 10 at 1:00 pm, at the Oratory of Saint Philip Neri in Cadiz, the strategic report "Am?rica Latina. Una agenda de libertad 2012" (Latin America. An Agenda for Freedom 2012) concurrent with the bicentenary of the 1812 Constitution. Participating in the event will be former Spanish Prime Minister and President of FAES, Jos? Mar?a Aznar, who writes the foreword; the Minister of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation, Jos? Manuel Garc?a-Margallo; the MP for the Partido Popular and director of the report, Miguel ?ngel Cort?s, and the Mayor of Cadiz, Te?fila Mart?nez. "Am?rica Latina. Una agenda de libertad 2012" (Latin America. An Agenda for Freedom 2012) is an updated and extended edition of the report on the region's situation and future published by FAES in 2007. That document promoted the joining of the akin around common ideas and viable projects consolidating liberal democracy, respect for individual freedoms, validity of the Rule of Law, institutional strengthening and open economy. Presented in 18 countries, the report has since become a document of reference inspiring electoral programs, has been used as a source of reference, and has nurtured debates in academic and political forums. With over 1000 references in Google, the report has consolidated itself as a trademark of acknowledged relevance in Latin America. UPDATE AND EXTENSION FAES' Board of Trustees, in light of the political and economic transformations which have taken place in the world and particularly in Latin America since 2007, decided, at the end of 2010, to update and extend the report, directed by the MP for the Partido Popular, Miguel ?ngel Cort?s and the former director of FAES' International Department and current Chief of Staff of the Minister for Foreign Affairs, Alberto Carnero. Over 1400 people ?"100 collaborators took part in the 2007 edition?" and 100 institutions from Spain and Latin America have contributed to its update through discussions and papers, and thanks to the intensive use of new technologies. The FAES Coordinator for Latin American Programs, Guillermo Hirschfeld, has overseen the work. However, the report's updating is an open project still under debate in different Latin American ideas forums. LAUNCH IN CADIZ The lauch of "Am?rica Latina. Una agenda de libertad 2012" (Latin America. An Agenda for Freedom 2012) will be attended by former Foreign Affairs Ministers Jos? Pedro P?rez-Llorca, Abel Matutes, Josep Piqu? and Ana Palacio. Latin American Ambassadors in Spain, MPs, businessmen, scholars and a representation of Cuban dissidents and of the Venezuelan opposition will also be there. This event will be, likewise, the starting point of the report's presentations to be unfolded by FAES along 2012. The Foundation will present the paper to the Spanish Prime Minister, Mariano Rajoy, and will do the same with heads of State, think tanks and the media in Latin American countries like Mexico, Colombia, Argentina, Chile, Brazil, Peru, Guatemala and Ecuador, as well as in the United States and several European countries like Brussels, London and Berlin. HISTORICAL OPPORTUNITY The 2007 "Latin America. An Agenda for Freedom" noted that the region stood before the dilemma of following the road to freedom, democracy and prosperity or chose populism and irrelevance in the international scenario. The main thesis of the new edition is that today, there are more lights than shadows in Latin America, which stands before a historical opportunity to consolidate its development. With regard to this, this report states that the region today is more prosperous and chiefly democratic, has consolidated the peaceful transfer of power and political alternation, and has managed to keep high growth rates at a time of international economic and financial crisis. In the 2012 foreword, FAES' president and former Prime Minister, Jos? Mar?a Aznar, writes that with the strength of the ideas of democracy and freedom, Latin America is prepared to place itself and the vanguard of nations. Nevertheless, Aznar also thinks that it needs to resolutely face some key challenges: consolidating its middle classes, making access to public services universal, fighting violence and citizen insecurity with the Rule of Law, and acquiring a leading role in global issues. FREEDOM vs. AUTHORITARIANISM Aznar, for whom Latin America is an essential part of the West, a priority for Spain and fundamental for the future of freedom, democracy and wellbeing in the world, also points out that even if the region has resisted the ravages of populism, which has retreated, the Cuban dictatorship and its satellites still escape this scenario, as they oppose the adoption of reforms and are incompatible with the notion of an open society. In this sense, the former Prime Minister of the Government points out that the infringement of property rights, legal insecurity and the uncontrolled soaring of monetary supply are among the reasons that explain the failure of '21st Century Socialism' as a model and have contributed to its loss of prestige even among the left. ORATORY OF SAINT PHILIP NERI The new edition of "Am?rica Latina. Una agenda de libertad 2012" (Latin America. An Agenda for Freedom 2012) is concurrent with the bicentenary of the 1812 Constitution, which Aznar considers to be a milestone in the tradition assumed by Spanish nations seeking to establish a political system which would acknowledge and guarantee the rights of people and found a civil order based on freedom. The President of FAES states in the foreword that the report aims to preserve and pass on that political legacy convinced that the best future of the Latin American Community demands loyalty to the principles that established the respect for the Constitution and the Law. Hence, FAES will launch and present the report next April 10 at the Oratory of Saint Philip Neri in Cadiz, which hosted the gatherings of the Cadiz Cortes and the enactment of the 1812 Constitution. Read the report (in Spanish)