On September 29, the Inter-American Dialogue hosted a wide-ranging conversation with Luis Alberto Moreno, the outgoing president of the Inter-American Development Bank, in recognition of his productive collaboration with the Dialogue and his contributions to our mission for more than two decades. Over 45 Dialogue members convened to listen to Moreno’s perspectives as he reached the end of his 15 years as president of the IDB. Participants included Enrique V. Iglesias, former president of the IDB; Martín Torrijos, former president of Panama; Luis Guillermo Solís, former president of Costa Rica; Tom Shannon, co-chair of the Inter-American Dialogue; and Carla A. Hills, chair emeritus of the Dialogue, among others. Michael Shifter, president of the Inter-American Dialogue, moderated the conversation.
In his opening remarks, Moreno shared his thoughts on the current and future challenges facing the region in light of Covid-19. He also reflected on the changes that Washington, DC and the Inter-American system have undergone since he first arrived as Colombia’s ambassador to the United States in 1998.
In response to questions, Moreno reviewed his main accomplishments during his IDB presidency, as well as areas where he wished the bank would have made further progress. He addressed the recent economic shifts in the region as well as the feasibility of financial recovery plans amidst the pandemic. He also touched on the evolving relationships between the bank and its member countries and the rise of IDB-China cooperation. Finally, Moreno discussed the push towards transparency reform in the region and reflected on his possible next steps.
This conversation was private and off-the-record.
PARTICIPANTS LIST
Sebastián Acha, Paraguay
Bernard Aronson, United States
Alicia Bárcena, Mexico
Rebecca Bill Chavez, United States
Bruno Binetti, Argentina
Catalina Botero, Colombia
Enrique Carrizosa, Colombia
Juan Carlos Carvallo, Venezuela
Julieta Castellanos, Honduras
Roberto Murray Meza, El Salvador
Fernando Cepeda, Colombia
Eugenio Clariond Reyes, Mexico
Luiz Fernando Furlan, Brazil
L. Enrique García, Bolivia
Diego García-Sayán, Peru
José E. Gonzales, Peru
Gustavo Grobocopatel, Argentina
Carla A. Hills, United States
Earl Jarrett, Jamaica
Enrique V. Iglesias, Uruguay
Jim Kolbe, United States
Paula Moreno, Colombia
Salvador Paiz, Guatemala
Beatriz Paredes Rangel, Mexico
Pierre Pettigrew, Canada
Jacqueline Pitanguy, Brazil
Alfonso Prat-Gay, Argentina
Guillermo Rishchynski, Canada
María Luisa Romero, Panama
Andrés Rozental, Mexico
Thomas A. Shannon, Jr., United States
Ana Salas Siegel, United States
Luis Guillermo Solís, Costa Rica
Matias Spektor, Brazil
Maria Fernanda Teixeira, Brazil
Roberto Teixeira da Costa, Brazil
Martín Torrijos, Panama
Héctor Castro Vizcarra, Mexico
