The president of the Global Democracy and Development Foundation (Funglode), Leonel Fernández, had a meeting with young students from the José Ortega y Gasset-Gregorio Marañón Foundation, mostly of Dominican nationality, in a space for reflection aimed at analyzing the great challenges of the contemporary world.
The discussion, held at the headquarters of the foundation, an institution of recognized international prestige in the fields of training, research and the promotion of plural thinking, was developed as an exercise in open dialogue on leadership, democracy, education, innovation and global transformation.
The former Dominican president spoke to young people about the central role of knowledge as a driver of sustainable development, underlining the need to strengthen the training of new generations as a basis for building more just, inclusive and competitive societies.
He emphasized the responsibility of youth as protagonists of the processes of change, in an international scenario marked by profound technological, geopolitical and social transformations.
Fernández reaffirmed his conviction that 21st century leadership must be based on the ability to understand the complexity of today’s world, encourage critical thinking and promote dialogue as an essential tool for conflict resolution and democratic consolidation.
The meeting also made it possible to address the importance of strengthening academic and cultural ties between Latin America and Europe, as a way to promote the exchange of knowledge, institutional cooperation and the construction of a shared vision of development.
The Funglode delegation was made up of Ynés Vargas, director of Funglode Spain; Guillermo Sención, José Espinal, Francisco Gómez, Axel Haché, Ruddy Fuertes, Miguel Roig and Josefina Pimentel, who accompanied President Fernández during the day, within the framework of his institutional agenda in the Kingdom of Spain.
Upon arrival, the delegation was received by Lucía Sala, general director of the Ortega-Marañón Foundation; Fernando Vallespín, director of the Western Magazine; Esther del Campo, patron of the institution; and Pedro Marcos García, deputy director of Academic Planning and Transfer of the Ortega y Gasset University Research Institute.
A press release indicates that this dialogue reaffirms Funglode’s commitment to the promotion of knowledge, critical thinking and the training of young leadership, consolidating its role as a bridge of intellectual articulation between Latin America and Europe.
