Latin American Challenges.....After the Crisis

A lecture by Ricardo Lagos
12 pm, Thursday, October 1, 2009 (reception from 11-12)
Turner Hall- Blair School of Music
Sponsored by Vanderbilt's Center for Latin American Studies



The Center for Latin American Studies at Vanderbilt continues its distinguished lecture series with a talk by Ricardo Lagos, former president of Chile and current United Nations Special Envoy on Climate Change.  President Lagos will speak on economic issues facing Latin America.

Widely regarded as one of Latin America's most influencial leaders, Ricardo Lagos served as president of Chile from 2000 to 2006, receiving wide acclaim for promoting free-trade and reforming health care and education.  A courageous speaker, Lagos began his political career speaking out against General Pinochet's human rights violations in the 1970's.  Lagos holds a Ph.D. in Economics from Duke University and a degree in Law form the University of Chile.  His publications include: Hacía la democracía (1987), Después de la transición (1993), and Mi idea de país (1999).

A professor of Economics at the University of Chile, Lagos began his political career as a member of Salvador Allende's socialist party in the early 1970's, serving as an ambassador to the United Nations and as a delegate at the 26th UN General Assembly.

In the aftermath of General Augusto Pinochet's coup in 1973, Lagos was forced to flee, first to Argentina (where he served as Secretary General of FLACSO) and then to North Carolina before returning to Chile.

In 1984, he founded the Partido por la Democracía (PPD) that gained power in the early 1990's through its "NO" campaign against the Pinochet legacy.  Dedicated to social reform, lagos introduced a major policy to decentralize Chile's educational system in his post as Minister of Education.  Later, in his role as Minister of Public Works u;nder President Eduardo Frei, he engineered a unique and successful plan to revamp Chile's road system that integrated the private sector in construction and maintenance projects.

Lagos was elected President of Chile in 2000, the first socialist president since Allende was overthrown.  Lagos was immediately confronted with regional economic instability and high unemployment, and later with tensions with other South American countries regarding access to natural gas/energy resources.  Despite these challenges, Lagos enjoyed unprecedented popluar support throughout his presidency, with approval ratings over 70% when his term ended in 2006. 

In 2007, Lagos was appointed by UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon as the Special Envoy on Climate Change.