Event open to the general public
RegisterWith the second round of the presidential elections in Ecuador fast approaching, there's a palpable sense of uncertainty about the direction the country will take on matters of significant importance. The individual elected as President of the Republic will have to tackle numerous critical issues.
In recent weeks, Koyuntura Magazine from the Institute of Economics at USFQ has conducted a thorough analysis of the proposals from the two final candidates across a broad spectrum of topics. Given the high level of interest and the relevance of the issues discussed, we have organized the event Ecuador: What's the Future, where experts will delve into four key areas: Security, Fiscal Management, Public Health, and Governance and Politics.
Speakers
Rodrigo López
Professor at the School of Economics, USFQ
Economist, Universidad San Francisco de Quito, Ecuador
MSc. Econometrics and Economics, The University of York, England-United Kingdom
Has served as Undersecretary of Budget, Director of Public Expenditure Quality, and Director of Fiscal Equity at the Ministry of Economy and Finance.
Formerly the Deputy Manager of Institutional Management at the Development Bank of Ecuador
Has also worked in other public sector entities such as the Ministry of Health and the Municipality of the Metropolitan District of Quito.
Ximena Garzón
Dean of the School of Public Health at USFQ
Doctor of Medicine from the Central University of Ecuador. Holds a Ph.D. in Public Health with a focus on Occupational Health and a Postdoctoral degree in Occupational Health Research and Occupational Epidemiology, both from the University of South Florida.
Served as Minister of Health between 2021 and 2022 during Guillermo Lasso's administration. Former Technical Medical Deputy Director and Deputy Director of Teaching and Research at the South Quito General Hospital of the Ecuadorian Social Security Institute (IESS).
General Coordinator of Teaching at the Carlos Andrade Marín Specialties Hospital.
Has worked as an undergraduate and postgraduate lecturer at universities in Ecuador and the United States, teaching Public Health and Occupational Epidemiology, among other subjects.
Pablo Medina Pérez
Coordinator of the Political Science Program at USFQ
Master in Administration and Public Policy, Université Catholique de Louvain, Belgium.
Master in International Relations, Universidad Andina Simón Bolívar, Ecuador.
Bachelor in Business and International Exchanges, Pontificia Universidad Católica del Ecuador, Ecuador.
Works in three distinct yet interrelated areas: in political science, focusing on institutional designs, relationships between the Executive and Legislative branches, and elections; in international relations, studies political conflicts and international security; and in public policy, works on methodologies for the design, implementation, and evaluation of public policy and legislation.
Currently a Ph.D. candidate in Political Science at FLACSO Ecuador and a Ph.D. candidate in Public Law at the University of Perpignan Via Domitia (France).
Hugo Acero
Expert in Citizen Security, Former Secretary of Security of Bogotá
Sociologist from the National University of Colombia; academic at the Universities of Los Andes and Externado de Colombia. Presidential Advisor for the Peace and National Security Councils from 1993-1995, Deputy Secretary for Coexistence and Security Affairs at the Mayor's Office of Bogotá from 1995-2003.
As a consultant for UNDP, IDB, and the World Bank, he has developed Coexistence and Citizen Security Plans and Master Plans for Security and Justice Facilities in Colombia in cities like Medellín, Pereira, Barranquilla, Cartagena, and Manizales, in Ecuador in Quito and Guayaquil, in Mexico in Cuautitlan Izcalli, as well as in El Salvador, Honduras, Guatemala, and Brazil. Worked at the Colombian Oil Company ECOPETROL in designing the Institutional Crisis Management System, with the Colombian Institute of Family Welfare in strengthening programs for children disengaged from conflict and the Adolescent Criminal Responsibility System.
In the last five years, he has served as a security advisor to the Mayor's Office of Barranquilla, the Government of El Meta, and the District Comptroller's Office of Bogotá, as a consultant for the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) and the government of El Salvador assessing the execution of the Loan for Coexistence and Citizen Security and as an advisor to the Directorate of the Unit for Victims of Armed Conflict, advisor on security and justice in the City of Medellín and in a project with the Autonomous University of Mexico on the legitimate use of force in security and justice institutions. Until July 2021, he was the Secretary of Security, Coexistence, and Justice of Bogotá. In 2022 and 2023, a consultant for the Development Foundation FUPAD. Advisor to the municipality of Samborondón in Ecuador.
