Latin American Youth Worried About Jobs, Education

IMF talks with students about challenges facing world economy, Latin America

Young people concerned about access to education, job prospects

Students ask IMF what it has learned from past crises

“In this global economy, with so much interconnectedness, what happens in the rest of the world really matters for your future,” said David Lipton, First Deputy Managing Director of the IMF during a series of town hall-style events in universities in Mexico, Peru, and Chile.

Lipton explained that the IMF encourages all its member countries to pursue smart policies so that they avoid risks that might lead to crises. “Countries need to recognize that some of what they do spills over and affects other countries and could damage them,” he pointed out.

“No country is an island and whatever happens in the rest of the world matters for every country,” added Nouriel Roubini, Chairman of Roubini Global Economics, who accompanied Lipton on this university road show in Latin America.

“Your generation will not just be working on improving your own country, but will have to be engaged in a global dialogue to secure a strong and stable global economy,” Lipton told students.

Reaching out to young people

The three events entitled “Latin American Economy and the Future: The Youth’s Voice” took place at the Instituto Tecnolá½¹gico Autá½¹nomo de México in Mexico City on March 3, at the Universidad del Pacífico in Lima on March 5, and at the Universidad de Chile in Santiago on March 7.

Each event attracted about 200–300 students from both public and private universities and was webstreamed live. Students were able to send questions in advance of these programs, and during the events they asked questions live and via Twitter.

“This trip is a chance for us to speak with young people in Latin America about the IMF, to try to explain what we do, and to try to understand what’s important to you and your future,” Lipton said.

In addition to economic conditions in their own countries, education, and jobs, students asked a variety of other questions, from climate change to natural resources to current events such as the situation in Ukraine.

These Latin American youth events are part of a series of activities the IMF is undertaking in the region in the run-up to the IMF–World Bank Annual Meetings in Peru in 2015, known as the Road to Lima.

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