Colombia - 2020

Featured speakers:

Alejandro Reyes, Advisor to the Colombian Minister of Agriculture

Juan Carlos Esguerra, former ambassador to the United States and legal expert

Adam Isacson, Senior Associate, Washington Office on Latin America

Santiago Montenegro, former Director Colombian National Planning Office

Ali Moshiri, President, Chevron Africa and Latin America Production Company

Alberto Bernal, Bulltick LLC

Carl Meacham, Senior Staff, Senate Foreign Relations Committee

Moises Naim, syndicated columnist El Pais

Keynote Addresses:

Hon. Gabriel Silva, Colombia's Ambassador to the United States

Hon. James Steinberg, Deputy U.S. Secretary of State

Moderated by:

Stephen Johnson, Director, CSIS Americas Program

Meredith Broadbent, CSIS Scholl Chair in International Business

Phillip McLean, Senior Associate, CSIS Americas Program

Colombia has turned the page after decades of conflict and uncertainty, and emerges as a country with enormous political, social, and economic potential in the region.  President Juan Manuel Santos, elected just a year ago, has chosen an ambitious post-conflict strategy that addresses the past with an unprecedented and historic law of Victims and Land Restitution and the present with a democratic consolidation policy.  The background of this conversation is a country with healthier economic growth  but also challenges of poverty and inequality.  Investment could increase substantially if the U.S. - Colombian free trade agreement is approved. Moreover, Colombia is now the third largest exporter of oil to the United States in the region with  significant  exploration  potential.  Investment and development will help Colombia create employment and build a promising future for coming generations.

This conference was sponsored by the U.S. - Colombia Business Partnership through a generous donation by Chevron.