Forging inclusive democracies.

• Author: Villamil, Ney
• Position: Carlos Diego Mesa Gisbert and Jose Antonio Ocampo - Interview

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The Latin American Democracy Forum, sponsored by the OAS, the UNDP, and the Mexican Federal Electoral Institute, opened a broad space for reflection and discussion. Held in Mexico City on December 12-14, 2010, the event brought together a diverse group of distinguished Latin Americans who spoke about challenges for the consolidation of democracy, new paths to development, and different approaches for resolving pending matters on Latin America's economic and political agenda.

This article concludes the series of interviews that Americas conducted with some of the participants during the forum.

Carlos Diego Mesa Gisbert is a prominent public figure in Bolivia whose career has included contributions as an historian, journalist, writer, and politician. In the area of film, he created numerous cultural documentaries and produced a feature-length film. He founded the Cinemateca Boliviana and was its director for nearly a decade. Mesa Gilbert has published three books on the history of Bolivian film and has directed televisions channels, a news agency, and the newspaper Ultima Hora. For nearly twenty years, he was the host of the Bolivian TV interview program De Cerca. Along with his parents--distinguished scholars Teresa Gisbert and Jose de Mesa--he published Historia de Bolivia (1997), the most widely read book of its kind in his country.

After becoming the Vice President of Bolivia, he was sworn in as President on October 17, 2003 during the crisis known as the "Gas War," which ended in the resignation of President Gonzalo Sanchez de Lozada. During his nearly two years as president, Mesa Gilbert enjoyed widespread popular support thanks to a transparent administration, a firm adherence to democratic principles, and a rigorous policy of respect for life and human rights.

Colombian Jose Antonio Ocampo, one of Latin America's most prominent economists, studied economics and sociology at Notre Dame University and holds a PhD in economics from Yale University. Ocampo served as the Executive Secretary of the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC), a United Nations agency based in Santiago, Chile, and was later appointed the United Nation's Deputy Secretary-General for Economic and Social Affairs. He is currently a Professor of Professional Practice in International and Public Affairs at Columbia University in New York.

Carlos Diego Mesa Gisbert

* Mr. President, you have widespread recognition as a journalist and historian. How do you see the current situation of the...