Message from Former President of the Republic of Colombia

It is truly admirable to have established within a year a community of over one hundred professionals in 54 countries. This achievement speaks to the potential of youth and its search, through different forms, to make itself be heard.

Thus, in our Government, support to our youth has been a priority. We brought forward the Colombian Pact for Youth, a piece of public policy with actions planned until 2030 with a budget of 33.5 billion Colombian Pesos (Aprox. 750 million USD per year for 9 years), to reach all the Colombian youth in our national territory.

Additionally, we achieved a historic moment when we reached superior education gratuity, benefiting up to 732.000 youngsters, and, in 2022 we assigned the biggest budget in our country’s history to the education sector, accounting for 49 billion Colombian Pesos.

One of our most important programs was the “shake off” strategy (Estrategia Sacúdete), focused to develop leadership skills,  assertive communication,  conflict resolution,  critical thinking capacity, innovation, creativity, and Fourth Industrial Revolution capacities. So far, we have delivered 155 infrastructure projects nationally to develop the strategy.

On the other hand, in December 2021, Municipal Youth Councils were elected, where over 1.2 million voters between 14 and 28 years chose 12.487 councilors to represent the youth in our democracy.

We need young leadership. That is why I am convinced that the Global Young Leaders Dialogue is a necessary space, and I am sure it will continue to consolidate as a platform to make the work and ideas of the youth to contribute to the world to change.

A heartfelt greeting,

Ivan Duque Márquez

Former President of the Republic of Colombia