Sergio Fajardo, former Mayor of Medellin, speaks at LSE
On 16 March 2017 the Latin America and Caribbean Centre and the LSE SU Colombian Society hosted a public lecture with Dr Sergio Fajardo, former Mayor of Medellin and Governor of Antioquia. The event, entitled From Fear to Hope: A New Colombia in the Making, was chaired by Dr Austin Zeiderman, Assistant Professor of Urban Geography and was attended by more than 100 people, including the Colombian Ambassador to the United Kingdom, Néstor Osorio Londoño.
Professor Fajardo, a former academic, shared his experience on leading the transformation of one of the world’s most violent cities and regions when he served as Mayor of Medellin and Governor of Antioquia. Professor Fajardo described how today Medellin and Antioquia have become international referents of social and urban innovation, promoting peace and social equity through reformed urban policies. He acknowledged that achieving peace and social equity was still ‘work in progress’ and emphasised the importance of education as the primary strategy to tackle corruption and inequality.
The event was followed by Café con Fajardo, where the LSE community continued the conversation with Professor Fajardo on challenges and future prospects for peace and development in Colombia.
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