Convergencias is the annual collegiate conference about the challenges and opportunities that Mexico faces for its development. The attendees are Mexican college students from Universities across the United States. Our list of speakers for this year includes some of Mexico's most distinguished politicians, businessmen, and academics.

Convergencias 2009 will capitalize on the achievements obtained two years ago, given the existing interest of the participating universities in the development of our country. We wish to establish dialogues of the highest level between the speakers and participants in order to enrich the perspectives of our country.

Convergencias is a project that began in 2007 at Yale University, and we are in its second edition now. In this edition we expect over a hundred attendants. Convergencias 2009 is organized by the students of Mex@Penn, the Mexican Student Association at the University of Pennsylvania.

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A Message from the President:

Dear friends, Welcome to Convergencias 2009 and to the University of Pennsylvania.

As you can imagine, the students at Mex@Penn are proud of bringing you into a think-tank of Ideas for a better Mexico. It is an enormous pleasure to have in this room some of the most prominent politicians, businessmen, academics, and future leaders of our country.

The objective of this conference is to engage into dialogue and enrich each other's perspectives and ideas. Before we begin our sessions, it is important to step back for a second, and realize that we are among the most talented and privileged students of our age, and as such, we are responsible for Mexico's future. In an era of violence, social and economic turmoil, intense political competition, and global uncertainty, what our country needs, first and foremost, is a group of bright young people who care. Today, you are here because you have the interest, the ambition, and the drive to make a change. The ideas that will be discussed in the following days will cover many of the most urgent and pertinent challenges our country faces. We envision this discussion as a first step, in hopes that each of you will find your path and contribute to make of our country a better place for all.

Finally, we wish to thank everyone who made this conference possible; our dedicated team, our generous sponsors, our committed speakers and all of our friends and families who supported us. Thank you for being here today, we are immensely excited for what will be a deeply fulfilling and highly thought provoking conference.

Sincerely,


Maya Dadoo Gonzalez
President, Mex@Penn
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Convergencias 2009 featured some of Mexico's most distinguished politicians, businessmen, and academics, including as:


John Ackerman,
Director of Mexican Law Review and Researcher in the Institute of Juridical Investigations- UNAM

Roy Campos,
President of Consulta Mitofsky

Alejandro Chacon Dominguez,
General Coordinator of Ports and Maritime Commerce

Carlos Daniel Fernández Guevara,
Precandidate to Parliament for District 1 of Sonora

Gustavo Merino,
Subminister of Social Development

Francisco Paoli Bolio,
Investigator in the Institute of Juridical Investigations- UNAM

Eduardo Pérez-Motta,
President of Mexico's Federal Competition Commission

José Carlos Rodríguez Pueblita,
General Director of Evaluation and Monitoring in the Ministry of Social Development

Enrique Ruiz-Sanchez,
Consul of Mexico in Philadelphia

Julio Sotelo Morales
Director of the National Health Institutes and High Specialty Hospitals

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Friday February 20:
18:00-20:00       Welcome Reception; Opening remarks by Hon. Enrique Ruiz Sanchez, Consul of Mexico in Philadelphia

Saturday February 21:
8:45 - 9:30        Registration and Breakfast
9:30 - 10:30      Panel I- "Politics: Democracy in Mexico and the multi-party system. Where is democracy in Mexico headed?"
                             Speakers: Francisco Paoli Bolio and Roy Campos
10:30- 10:45     Break
10:45 - 11:45     Panel II- "The individual and the public institutions: Transparency, accountability, and access to information."
                              Speakers: John Ackerman
11:45 - 12:00     Break
12:00 - 13:00     Panel III- "Programs of infrastructure in Mexico"
                              Speaker: Alejandro Chacon Dominguez
13:00 - 13:45     Lunch
13:45 - 14:45     Panel IV- "Social politics as a tool to achieve equal opportunities in Mexico"
                              Speaker: Gustavo Merino
14:45 - 15:45      Panel V- "Financial Systems in Mexico, and the Problems of our Country"
                              Speaker: Hector Lagos Donde and Harish Dadoo
15:45 - 17:00     Break
17:00 - 18:15     Panel VI- "Economic Outlook; Competitiveness and sustainability"
                              Speaker: José Carlos Rodríguez Pueblita (Penn Alumni)
19:00 - 21:00     Dinner
22:00 - 00:00     Social Event 


Sunday February 22:
10:00 - 10:30         Breakfast
10:45 - 11:45       Panel VII-  "A country in development: Trends and Challenges for Mexico in the context of global deceleration"
                              Speakers: Eduardo Perez-Motta
11:45 - 12:45     Panel VIII- "Government policies in the housing market"
                              Speaker: Jose de Jesus Gomez Dorantes
12:45 - 13:00     Break
13:00 - 14:00     Panel IX- "Challenges and opportunities in the health sector”
                              Speaker: Julio Sotelo Morales
14:00 - 14:45     Break
14:45 - 15:45     Panel X- “Political Renovation”
                              Speaker: Carlos Daniel Fernandez Guevara
15:45 - 16:15     Closing remarks



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