VII Podium – Speakers

(In the order of the program)

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Introduction

Welcome to UNIGE, Prof. Marcelo Olarreaga (UNIGE)

On the concept of this Podium, Amb. Francisca Méndez (Mission of Mexico)

The series «Podium», Luis Vélez Serrano, Coordinator of PuntoLatino

 

 

Panel 1

What are the challenges and opportunities for achieving the objectives of the decent work agenda in the region, in an environment with profound technological changes, demographic transformations and the need for new skills? What opportunities do social dialogue and tripartism offer in the region to address these trends in the world of work? SDG 4.5, 8, 9,10, (ILO/WEF).

 

Claudia Fuentes Julio, Ambassador, Permanent Representative of Chile to the United Nations and other International Organizations in Geneva

Her professional experience focuses on the promotion and protection of human rights and human security. As an academic, she has written extensively on foreign policy, human rights, the responsibility to protect, gender and diplomacy, and conflict resolution. She has taught at the Department of Peace Studies at Chapman University in California (USA), at the Institute of International Relations (IRI) at the Pontifical Catholic University of Rio de Janeiro (PUC-Rio) in Brazil, and at the Department of Government at Alberto Hurtado University in Chile. Before that, she was a research associate at the Latin American Faculty of Social Sciences (FLACSO-Chile).

In the multilateral arena, Ambassador Fuentes Julio has worked closely with several United Nations entities on a variety of projects. These cover a broad spectrum, from projects on conflict prevention and recovery, gender and disarmament in Latin America, to the development of strategies on human security and multilateral institutions in Latin America and the Caribbean. She also worked as an electoral monitor for the Organization of American States.

 

José Ramírez, ordinary professor at the Haute École de Gestion Genève (HEG)

José V. Ramírez is a labor economist and professor of Political Economy at the Geneva School of Business Administration since 2004.

He has been a consultant for the ILO and the IDB. He has carried out numerous assignments for public and private organizations to evaluate the remuneration system in relation to the equality law and for various federal and cantonal institutions in Switzerland to evaluate the economic impact of public policies.

Her areas of research and specialization are directly related to the labor market, education and quantitative methods for evaluating public policies.

 

 

Manuela Tomei is Deputy Director General for Governance, Rights and Dialogue at the International Labor Organization (ILO).

Ms Tomei has had an extensive career at the ILO. She joined the ILO in 1988 as an Associate Expert in the Employment Department before joining the InFocus Programme on Financing for Development. before joining the InFocus Programme on Fundamental Principles and Rights at Work as a Senior Specialist.  She was appointed Head of the Conditions of Work and Employment Branch in 2007 and has served since 2011 as Director of the Labour Protection Department. In 2013 she was then appointed Director of the Conditions of Work and Equality Department. The focus of her work has been labour protection and working conditions, emerging work arrangements, including platform work, and gender equality and non-discrimination in employment.   
Ms Tomei led the work that led to the adoption of the last two ILO Conventions, namely the Domestic Workers Convention, 2011 (No. 189) and the Violence and Harassment Convention, 2019 (No. 190) and its accompanying Recommendations (Nos. 201 and  206 respectively).  She was the main architect of the multi-stakeholder Equal Pay International Coalition (EPIC), linked to target 8.5 of the Sustainable Development Goals. Ms Tomei is a member of the Advisory Board of the Global Women’s Leadership Institute. She speaks English, French and Spanish, in addition to Italian, her native language.   

 

Eliel Hasson Nisis, Labour Attaché of the Chilean Mission to the UN International Organizations (Geneva)

Mr. Hasson serves as Labor Attaché at the Permanent Mission of Chile to the United Nations and other International Organizations in Geneva. He is also Vice President of the Hay Mujeres Foundation, Director of the Chilean Council for Prospective and Strategy, member of the Advisory Council of Chile Transparente, of the Permanent Forum on Foreign Policy and of the Ethics Commission of the Chilean Chapter of the National Museum of Women in the Arts. In addition, he works as a Professor at the Adolfo Ibáñez University in Trade Policy, Labor and Regulatory Affairs.
In recent years, Eliel has served as Head of the International Unit of the Ministry of Labor and Social Security, Director of Liaison and Strategy of the Carén Scientific and Academic Initiative of the University of Chile, President of the Chile Israel Foundation for Science, Technology, Innovation and Humanities and member of the Chile-United States Council on Science, Technology and Innovation. In 2020, Eliel was appointed President of The Chile Club, an entity founded with the purpose of promoting the exchange of ideas between the Chilean and English-speaking business community.
From 2019 to 2021, he served as Director of Public Affairs and Corporate Governance at the Albagli Zaliasnik Law Firm. From 2014 to 2018, both years inclusive, he served as Head of International Affairs for the Ministries of the General Secretariat of the Presidency and Labor and Social Security. Previously, he worked at the law firm Prieto y Cía. and at the Undersecretariat of International Economic Relations of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Mr. Hasson holds the degrees of JD from the University of Lima, Peru, in Law and Political Science and LLM in International Economic Relations from the University of Chile. Additionally, she has completed the Executive Programs «The Practice of Trade Policy» at Harvard University, John F. Kennedy School of Government and «Management Program for Lawyers» at Yale School of Management. Likewise, throughout her professional career, she has completed various specialization programs in various international organizations (WTO, ILO, etc.) in subjects such as Social and Solidarity Economy; Corporate Sustainability and Future of Work. In addition to Spanish and English, she has advanced knowledge of French and Hebrew.

 

 

Panel 2

Innovation and technology.  How can the region close the digital and technological gap to eliminate social inequalities and create jobs? What is the role of IOs in this process? — SDGs 4, 5, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11 — (ITU/WEF/WIPO/GESDA/CERN/ITU)

 

Fernando I. Espinosa Olivera

Minister, accredited as Ambassador and Alternate Permanent Representative of Mexico to the IOs based in Geneva.
He holds a degree in law from the Escuela Libre de Derecho and is a graduate of the Diplomatic Academy of Vienna, Austria.
He has taken specialized courses at the Matías Romero Institute of Diplomatic Studies, the Diplomatic Academy of Moscow, the Diplomatic Academy of London, the University of Vienna School of Higher Education and Acadia University (peacekeeping operations), among other institutions.

With 27 years in the Mexican Foreign Service, he has served as Economic Affairs Counselor at the Mexican Embassy in Canada, Consul and Consul in Charge at the Consulate General in Sao Paulo, Head of the Chancellery and Chargé d’Affaires at the Mexican Embassy in Switzerland, concurrent to Liechtenstein and the Universal Postal Union.
Within the Foreign Ministry, he has been Deputy Director General for Europe and has assignments in the Legal Consultancy, the International Analysis and Prospective Unit, the General Directorate of Consular Affairs, American Regional Organizations and Mechanisms, the Directorate of Bilateral Economic Relations and the Diplomatic Historical Collection.
Former professor of public and private international law at the Universidad Anáhuac and in the Master’s programs of the Center for Higher Naval Studies and the Higher School of War in Mexico.

He has been recognized with the 25-year medal of the Mexican Foreign Service.

 

Marcelo Olarreaga, Professor at the University of Geneva (UNIGE), at the Institute of Economics and Econometrics

Marcelo Olarreaga is Professor of Economics at the University of Geneva and Research Fellow at the Centre for Economic Policy Research in London.

Before coming to the University of Geneva, he worked in the research departments of the World Bank and the World Trade Organization. He has been a visiting professor at CERDI (France), the Graduate Institute (Switzerland), INSEAD (France), CLAEH Institute (Uruguay), SciencePo-Paris (France), Universidad de la República (Uruguay) and the University of Antwerp (Belgium). He holds a master’s degree in economics from the University of Sussex and a PhD from the University of Geneva.

His research is at the intersection of international trade and economic development and has been published in journals such as the Journal of Political Economy, Economic Journal, Review of Economics and Statistics, Journal of International Economics and the Journal of Development Economics.

 

Maricela Muñoz, GESDA

She has more than 20 years of experience in the multilateral arena, with extensive experience in complex negotiation processes. She is currently Director of Strategic Partnerships for the Geneva Science and Diplomacy Anticipator (GESDA). Prior to joining GESDA, she served as a diplomat at the Permanent Mission of Costa Rica to the United Nations in Geneva from 2016 to 2021. Previously, she worked in leadership positions for the U.S. Department of State, The Nature Conservancy, USAID, and AVINA Stiftung.

Ms. Muñoz has a particular interest in areas such as: anticipatory science diplomacy, sustainable and inclusive development, human and international security, strategic foresight and futures. She has conducted research at the intersection of science and policy, with a special focus on disruptive technologies and collaborative governance (artificial intelligence, quantum, biotechnology, neurotechnology, etc.)

She also serves as an Executive Fellow at the Geneva Center for Security Policy (GCSP) and is a member of the Advisory Board of the Democracy Laboratory (DemoLab). She holds a Master of Science (M.Sc.) in Banking and Finance from the University of Costa Rica and completed the Executive Leadership Program at Harvard University’s Kennedy School of Government.

 

Salvatore Mele, Senior Advisor for International Relations at CERN (European Organization for Nuclear Research)

Salvatore Mele is Senior Advisor for International Relations at CERN, the European Organisation for Nuclear Research. In this capacity, he facilitates links between CERN and governments, funding agencies, research organisations and universities, with a particular focus on Latin America. He also acts as a liaison with institutional donors and multilateral organisations for capacity development programmes aimed at expanding access to CERN in selected low- and middle-income countries.

An Italian national, Salvatore holds a PhD in Particle Physics and has spent 15 years as an experimental physicist at CERN and INFN, the Italian National Institute for Nuclear Physics. He led teams that measured fundamental properties of matter and searched for new phenomena in the previous generation of CERN experiments.

In previous roles, he also worked at CERN as Director of Open Access. His teams created global partnerships for access to scientific publications, built digital library platforms and designed open data solutions. He is a founding director of ORCID, the global researcher identification solution.

 

Bruno Ramos, Regional Director for the Americas of the ITU, International Telecommunication Union

Bruno Ramos graduated in electronic engineering from the Escola Politécnica da Universidade de São Paulo (USP) and holds two master’s degrees, one in telecommunications regulation and the other in electronic engineering, from the University of Brasilia (UnB). Bruno Ramos’ career focused on the telecommunications sector and information and communication technology (ICT) issues. He worked for companies such as TELESP (Telecomunicações de São Paulo) and TELEBRÁS (Telecomunicações Brasileiras) before joining the Brazilian regulatory body, Anatel, where he worked for more than 16 years. Bruno Ramos was Anatel’s Superintendent for data, mobile and satellite communications. As Brazilian representative at the ITU, he was Vice-Chairman of the ITU Standardization Sector Study Groups between 2000 and 2013.

On several occasions, Bruno Ramos was the head of the Brazilian delegation to international conferences. Since 2013, Bruno Ramos is the ITU Regional Director for the Americas Region, based in Brasilia, and is responsible for maintaining and developing relationships with representatives at the highest levels in relation to ITU governments and members, regional and international organizations to adopt initiatives and projects related to the development of the telecommunications sector and of them the ITU Regional Director of TICA, Mr. Ramos is also responsible for the planning, coordination and implementation.

Of all ITU activities, initiatives and projects in the Americas region, which involves coordination between the Regional Office and the Area offices in Bridgetown, Santiago and Tegucigalpa. It is responsible for the direct supervision of all ITU work in the Americas, highlighting assistance and support to countries related to telecommunications/ICT regulation, radio spectrum management and monitoring, strengthening of telecommunications institutions and capacity building in telecommunications/ICT in the Americas, among others.
in the Americas, among others.

 

Panel 3

Sustainable economic growth and the 5.0 economy —  How does the economic future of the region look in the current international context? What challenges does the 5.0 economy pose for economic growth, the fight against poverty and the reduction of inequality gaps? — SDGs 1, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 12 (UNCTAD/WTO/WEF)

 

Francisca Méndez, Ambassador, Ambassador Permanent Representative of Mexico to the UNOG

Ambassador Méndez was born in Mexico City. She joined the Diplomatic Service of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Mexico in 1991. She holds a degree in Political Science and Public Administration and a Master’s degree in Latin American Studies from the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM). She obtained her second Master’s degree in Law and Economics from the State University of Milan (Italy). She has diplomas in international politics; public diplomacy and Arabic studies. The latter with professors from the University of Oxford.

Prior to her current position in Geneva, Her Excellency Ms. Méndez served as Ambassador of Mexico to the United Arab Emirates, from January 2017 to January 2022, and concurrently to the Republic of Iraq.

At the headquarters of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Méndez worked in the Directorate for Political and Caribbean Affairs, the General Directorate for the United Nations Organization, and the General Directorate for Global Issues.

She was also Deputy Consul at the Consulates of Milan and Barcelona, ​​respectively. In the latter, she was in charge of the Consulate for a year and a half. After these assignments, Ambassador Méndez served as Head of Chancellery at the Mexican Embassies in Romania, Costa Rica and Spain, where she completed her diplomatic mission as Chargé d’Affaires for eight months. She also served as Deputy Permanent Representative for the European Union, the Kingdom of Belgium and the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg.

Ambassador Méndez was later appointed Director General for American Regional Organizations and Mechanisms. In this position, Ambassador Méndez served as National Coordinator of the Pacific Alliance, at the Ibero-American Summit and the Summit of the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC). Ambassador Méndez was also Special Advisor to the Undersecretary for Latin America and the Caribbean on matters of education and the private sector.

Throughout her diplomatic career, Ambassador Méndez has represented Mexico in more than forty meetings in multilateral and regional forums, where she is recognized for her negotiation and consensus-building skills. In the embassies and consulates where she was assigned, she significantly promoted bilateral economic and cultural cooperation.

She has been a speaker at several conferences on Mexican foreign policy and has published numerous articles on the partnership between Mexico and the European Union, as well as on sustainable development. She was the editor of a book entitled «The Mexican Embassy in Costa Rica: testimony of a solid and constructive partnership.» Lastly, Ambassador Méndez is the author of: «The links between the European Union and Latin America and the Caribbean: a historical perspective on regional integration.»

Her native language is Spanish and she speaks English, French and Italian. Ambassador Méndez is married to Jan-Jilles van der Hoeven and they have two children.

 

Juan Flores Zendejas, associate professor at the University of Geneva (UNIGE), in the Department of History, Economy and Society

Juan Flores Zendejas holds a PhD in economics from the Institute of Political Studies in Paris. He is currently Director of the Paul Bairoch Institute of Economic History and Associate Professor at the Department of History, Economy and Society at the University of Geneva.

He has worked for the Mexican Government and as an external consultant to the private sector, the Mexican Senate and international institutions. Juan Flores Zendejas’ research focuses on the history of financial crises and debt crises, the history of international financial organizations and the history of international monetary cooperation.

He has published extensively in journals such as International Organization, European Review of Economic History, Journal of Economic History and the Economic History Review. He is co-editor of the book «Sovereign Debt Diplomacies: Rethinking Sovereign Debt from Colonial Empires to Hegemony» published by Oxford University Press and of the book «Moral Hazard A Financial, Legal, and Economic Perspective» published by Routledge.

 

Diego Bustamante, Deputy Director for Latin America at the World Economic Forum

At the World Economic Forum, Diego Bustamante is responsible for mobilizing the Latin American agenda, developing multi-sectoral projects, public-private partnerships, and linking the region through the organization’s platforms, including the geopolitical, social, economic, environmental, and technological development agendas. He also led the Forum’s Young Global Leaders community for Latin America and Africa. He has served as a consultant on conflict and development issues, working closely with government agencies, international cooperation agencies, and consulting firms implementing development projects. In the Colombian Government, he has been an advisor on public policies and interagency coordination, coordinating initiatives of agencies of the Presidency of the Republic on issues of territorial development, security and governance in conflict zones, demobilization and reintegration of ex-combatants, and in the preparation of the peace process. Additionally, I work on issues of Science, Technology and Innovation, and as a Senior Lecturer at the Universidad del Rosario in Colombia I participated in governing bodies and initiatives in education, science and technology at the University and at the national level.

He has been a Global Leadership Fellow of the World Economic Forum, a Fulbright Scholar, and a fellow of the International Vistors Program of the United States Department of State. He holds a Master’s degree in Public Administration from Columbia University in New York, with specializations in Economic and Political Development, and in International Conflict Resolution. He is an internationalist from the Universidad del Rosario in Colombia.

 

Rolf Traeger, Head of the Developing Countries Section of the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD)

Rolf Traeger is Chief of the Developing Countries Section of the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD). He coordinates the research and writing of UNCTAD’s flagship publication, the Developing Countries Report, and leads technical assistance projects on development policies for governments and policy makers in developing countries. He has worked at the United Nations for over 30 years, at UNCTAD and the Economic Commission for Europe.

Her main areas of work and research are: sustainable development strategies and policies, structural transformation, STI (science, technology and innovation), poverty, least developed countries, international trade and the nexus between environment and development. Based on her research work, she carries out training and education activities for government officials, researchers and students, both in the public sector and in academic institutions.

He holds a PhD in Economics from the Graduate Institute of International and Development Studies and a Master’s degree in Economic Sciences from the University of Lausanne (both in Switzerland). He holds a Bachelor’s degree in Economics and Public Affairs from the Getúlio Vargas Foundation in São Paulo (Brazil) and a Bachelor’s degree in Law from the University of São Paulo (Brazil).

 

Karsten Steinfatt, Senior Advisor to the Director-General of the WTO

Karsten Steinfatt has been working at the World Trade Organization (WTO) for two decades.

His most recent position is as Senior Adviser to Deputy Director-General Anabel González. Previously, he was a Counsellor in the Trade and Environment Division, where he supported the work of WTO bodies dealing with trade and environmental sustainability and conducted research on the relationship between trade and the circular economy, climate change and green technologies. From 2002 to 2011, Karsten worked in the WTO’s Trade Policy Review Division, where he was chief editor of the United States and European Union reports.

Before joining the WTO, he worked on trade policy and negotiations at the Organization of American States (OAS) in Washington, DC, and at the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) in Paris, France. He has taught a master’s course on trade and climate change at the World Trade Institute in Bern. Karsten holds degrees from the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University and the American University of Paris, France.

 

Panel 4

Health and environmental challenges  What lessons and challenges has the COVID-19 pandemic brought to the region? In the face of these challenges, how should the region address the impacts of climate change on health, water scarcity, food production, and biodiversity conservation? — SDGs 3, 6, 13, 14 and 15 (WHO/WMO/UPU)

 

Álvaro Moerzinger, Ambassador, Permanent Representative of Uruguay to the United Nations in Geneva

English: Date and place of birth: 1 December 1949; Montevideo, Uruguay
University degree: Doctor of Law, University of the Republic, Uruguay, 1975
Diplomatic career:
1976-1978: Entered the Foreign Service through a public competition, as Third Secretary; Alternate Delegate of the Administrative Commission of the Plata and of the Joint Technical Commission established by the Treaty of Río de la Plata and the Maritime Front; Head of the Integration Department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs
1978-1983: Permanent Delegate of Uruguay to the UN, Geneva, Switzerland; Permanent Delegate of the Republic to the GATT during the Tokyo Round; Main negotiator of Uruguay in the Bilateral Textile Agreements signed with Canada, the EU and the United States; Member for Latin America of the Textile Surveillance Body of the Multifibre Textile Agreement; Delegate to UNCTAD, WIPO, ILO, WHO and numerous international conferences including Law of the Sea
1983-1986: Head of the International Economic Organizations Department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs; Chief Negotiator for the revision of the Bilateral Textile Agreement with the USA
1986-1988: Consul General in Hong Kong and Macao; Head of Delegation (observer state) to the Conference of Non-Aligned Countries held in North Korea
1988-1991: Head of Mission, Embassy of the Republic of Thailand in the Kingdom of Thailand; Head of Delegation to the UNICEF conference held in Pattaya, Thailand; Representative of the Republic at the Cairns Group meeting held in Pattaya, Thailand
1991-1992: Responsible for the organization and installation of the Administrative Secretariat of MERCOSUR (SAM) (art. 15 of the Treaty of Asunción)
1992: First Director of the Administrative Secretariat of MERCOSUR, (32 employees)
1993: Chief of Staff of the Minister of Foreign Affairs
1994: Deputy Director General for Political Affairs, Ministry of Foreign Affairs
1995-1996: Minister of the Embassy of Uruguay in the United States.
1997-2000: Deputy Ambassador to the OAS; Vice President of the General Committee on Hemispheric Security; Member of the Leo Rowe Foundation; FTAA Process: Head of the Delegation of the following Negotiating Groups: Small Economies and Electronic Commerce
2000-2003: Director General of Political Affairs, Ministry of Foreign Affairs
2003-2008: Ambassador of the Republic in Canada
2008-2011: Director of the Artigas Institute of the Foreign Service, Diplomatic Academy of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs
2011 – 2017: Ambassador of the Republic to the Kingdom of the Netherlands; -Permanent Representative to the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW); -Co-Facilitator of the Independent Oversight Mechanism Group of the International Criminal Court (2013 – 2014); -Vice-President of the Conference of States Parties (OPCW 2013); -Vice-President of the Open-ended Working Group for the Third Review Conference (OPCW 2013)
2014-2015: President of the Executive Council (OPCW May 2014 – May 2015)
2014-2016: Vice-President of the Assembly of States Parties to the International Criminal Court (since December 2014)
2016: Candidate of the Latin American Group for the post of Secretary of the Permanent Court of Arbitration.
2018: Director of Institutional Affairs MRREE
2020: Advisor on International Policy, Executive Tower. Presidency of the Republic
2021: Ambassador, Permanent Representative of the Permanent Mission of Uruguay to the United Nations in Geneva
Other activities:
2010: Professor of Diplomatic Law at the ORT University, Montevideo, Uruguay
2008-2010: Alternate President of «Uruguay Transparente», national chapter of the NGO Transparency International
2010: President of «Uruguay Transparente»

 

Nicolás Baya-Laffite is Associate Professor of Sociology of Science and Technology at the Institute of Sociological Research of the University of Geneva (UNIGE).

Her work focuses on conflicts in the production of socio-technical arrangements and innovation. Focusing on processes of environmental and digital transformation, her work pays particular attention to the interaction between technological trajectories, policy instruments and social problematizations in different domains and across multiple scales. Her approach draws on both traditional social science methods and digital methods.

He currently teaches introductory and advanced courses in Science, Technology and Society at the Department of Sociology at UNIGE. Before joining UNIGE in 2021, he worked at the University of Lausanne. He holds a degree in political science (University of Buenos Aires) and sociology of science and technology (EHESS). Beyond the academic world, he has acted as an expert for national and international organizations, such as the OECD, UNESCO, the State of the Canton of Vaud, the Scientific Intelligence Bulletin of the French Ministry of the Environment and the French Agency for Risk Assessment.

 

Elena Villalobos Prats,  Head of Technical Support to Countries and Training on Climate Change and Health, Department of Environment, Climate and Health, World Health Organization (WHO)

Elena has been working at WHO for 14 years and in her current role, she leads the team in charge of providing technical support and training to countries on climate change and health as well as the recently established Transformative Action Alliance on Climate and Health (ATACH). ATACH is a platform established to support the more than 60 countries that have committed to climate-resilient and low-emission health system initiatives.

Prior to joining WHO, Elena spent over 8 years in the field working as a Country Representative and Coordinator of health and development programmes and projects in Asia and Latin America.

Elena holds a degree in Law and a Masters in Public Health (Environmental Health) from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine (LSHTM). She also holds Masters degrees in Law, International Development and Humanitarian Aid, and Gender and Equality.

Nicolás Bilhoto is the current Coordinator for Latin America, the Caribbean and the Modernization of the Postal Sector, at the International Office of the Universal Postal Union (UPU).

The Universal Postal Union is a specialized agency of the United Nations and the main forum for the postal sector for international cooperation. Nicolás Bilhoto is in charge of international cooperation and the UPU’s relations with member countries in Latin America and the Caribbean, as well as projects to modernize the postal sector worldwide.

Previously, Nicolás held various management and executive positions for 6 years at International Post Corporation (an international corporation for the development of the international postal sector based in Brussels) and at the Postal Union of the Americas, Spain and Portugal, where he worked for more than 6 years.

Nicolâs Bilhoto is a Uruguayan national with an academic background in International Relations.

 

PhD students

PhD works from Swiss universities related to the topic addressed at the 7th Podium

 

Felipe Eduardo Bahamondes Moya, PhD candidate at the Graduate Institute Geneva

Felipe Bahamondes is currently completing his PhD in International Economics. He has specialized in international trade, and his thesis addresses topics such as value chains, contracts between importers and exporters, rules of origin, and the effect of free trade agreements on market concentration.

Previously, Felipe was an advisor at the Ministry of the General Secretariat of the Presidency and an analyst at the National Commission of Science and Technology, both agencies belonging to the Chilean government. He holds a master’s degree in international economics from the Gevena Graduate Institute, as well as a master’s degree in economics from the University of Chile.

 

 

Manuela Mahecha Alzate, PhD candidate and UNIGE assistant, Department of History, Economy and Society

She is currently pursuing her PhD in political economy. In her thesis, she seeks to characterize the dominant social bloc behind the accumulation regime during the period 2002 and 2020 in Colombia, with the aim of analyzing how these same accumulation dynamics generated a rupture in this dominant social bloc, which would end up causing the social outbreak of April 28, 2021 in that same country.

Manuela also supports teaching activities in the department. She is a graduate of the EPOG (Economic Policies in the age of Globalization) master’s program from which she obtained a degree in economic analysis and policy from the Université Sorbonne Paris Nord and a degree in international economics from the Berlin School of Economics and Law. She also holds a degree in administration from the University of Applied Sciences in Münster and a degree in Economics from the Universidad Pontificia Bolivariana in Medellín.