Funglode and GFDD to Host the VIII Global Forum on Latin America and the Caribbean in New York

The event, created and promoted by Dr. Leonel Fernández, will bring together prominent international figures to examine the challenges facing the region amid transformations in the global order.

New York – Fundación Global Democracia y Desarrollo (Funglode) and its sister organization in the United States, the Global Foundation for Democracy and Development (GFDD), will host the VIII Global Forum: Latin America and the Caribbean on September 23. The initiative was created and promoted by former President of the Dominican Republic and President of Funglode and GFDD, Dr. Leonel Fernández, and has become a leading platform for analysis and dialogue on the region’s major challenges and its relationship with the world.

Under the theme “Latin America and the Caribbean in a Transforming World,” this eighth edition will focus on the profound transformations reshaping the international order, from growing geopolitical tensions and uncertainty in the global economy to the redefinition of trade and strategic relations and the evolution of democratic processes across the hemisphere.

The Forum will take place at Columbia University’s Lerner Hall in New York City and will be supported by Columbia University’s Institute of Latin American Studies (ILAS) and the think tank Global Americans. The event will be held in a hybrid format, with both in-person and virtual participation, and will feature simultaneous interpretation in English and Spanish.

The agenda will bring together distinguished academics, economists, international relations experts, opinion leaders, and representatives of multilateral organizations and civil society for a day of discussion designed to examine the trends reshaping the global landscape and their implications for Latin America and the Caribbean.

The discussion will begin by examining a reality marked by geopolitical fragmentation and the impact of international conflicts on energy markets, global supply chains, food prices, investment, and financial stability. This is compounded by a transforming global economy in which technological innovation, artificial intelligence, the energy transition, and the reconfiguration of value chains are changing the conditions of competitiveness among nations.

Within this context, the Forum will also address the opportunities and challenges facing Latin America and the Caribbean as the region seeks to strengthen its competitiveness, attract productive investment, diversify its markets, and advance toward sustainable and inclusive growth through strong institutions, democratic stability, increased productivity, and regional integration.

Political developments will also occupy a central place on the agenda. 2026 represents a particularly significant year for democracies across the hemisphere, with major electoral processes taking place in Latin America as well as the United States midterm elections. Against this backdrop, the Latino vote is becoming increasingly important to the future of U.S. politics and to relations between the United States and Latin America and the Caribbean.

Confirmed participants include Juan Luis Cebrián, writer and journalist and founding editor of El País; Shlomo Ben-Ami, historian and former Minister of Foreign Affairs of Israel; Lisa Anderson, James T. Shotwell Professor Emerita of International Relations at Columbia University; José Antonio Ocampo, economist and Co-Director of the Economic and Political Development Concentration at Columbia University; José Manuel Salazar-Xirinachs, Executive Secretary of ECLAC; Shari Spiegel, Chief of the Policy Analysis and Development Branch at UN DESA; as well as Diego Area, Gerardo de Icaza, Alejandra Barrios, Brian Winter, Andy Dauhajre, Eduardo Gamarra, Katharine Pichardo, Mark Hugo Lopez, and David Pakman, among other distinguished figures.

The program will feature four discussion panels and a keynote address. The day will begin with an analysis of regional tensions and their global consequences, followed by a discussion on the state of the global economy and its outlook. Subsequent sessions will examine opportunities for Latin America and the Caribbean in a changing global economy, the region’s electoral landscape, and, finally, the role of the Latino vote in the 2026 United States midterm elections.

Throughout its various editions, the Global Forum: Latin America and the Caribbean has promoted pluralistic, high-level dialogue on the forces shaping the region’s economic, democratic, and social development. This eighth edition seeks to deepen that conversation and help identify new opportunities for cooperation and partnerships in an increasingly complex and interconnected international environment.

The VIII Global Forum: Latin America and the Caribbean will take place on Wednesday, September 23, 2026, at Columbia University in New York City. Its discussion panels will also be broadcast through the digital channels of Funglode and GFDD, as well as through an extensive network of partner platforms, expanding the reach of this forum for dialogue and reflection to a global audience.