Along with Ecuador’s diplomatic delegation at the 54th edition of the annual meeting of the World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos (Switzerland), which brings together more than 100 governments from around the world, there were also representatives of youth and indigenous peoples, who participated as speakers in dialog panels.

They are Jodie Padilla, a member of the Global Shapers community and a member of the WEF Expert Network, and Uyunkar Peas, a member of the Social Innovators Schwab Foundation, who was also awarded along with Atossa Soltani, director and founder of the environmental group Amazon Watch. , as social innovators.

Padilla was part of the nine youngsters global shapers The Latin American delegation for the annual meeting, which began on January 15th and lasted until Friday the 19th, and which this year had as its theme “Rebuilding trust”, which is based on three axes: towards the future, within societies and between nations. .

For 23 years, the WEF Global Shapers community has “identified and gathered inspiring young people from 152 countries and around 505 cities, enthusiastic about driving positive change for people and the planet,” according to the forum’s portal.

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Padilla comments that this was the second time she was elected; First time in 2021, but her participation was virtual: “The first time I was selected to participate representing our community in 2021, but it was during the pandemic and my participation was virtual. “I was the first Ecuadorian to be chosen to represent the Global Shapers community.”

This second time, he says, “it was a dream come true,” since he now personally went and was able to live the experience. “I was able to live the whole experience where I learned from the most outstanding experts in the world, I was able to share my experience and work in Ecuador, and I also got to know a new culture and its people, which is also very enriching.”

Regarding his intervention, it indicates that he focused on leadership as a transversal area between different professions. “The challenges that women face when they get to management positions and my call to measure the mistakes of men and women with the same yardstick, because the excessive expectations that exist for women managers mean that they often go through the back door through the same mistake. it is said goodbye to the male double. Organizational cultures must promote equality so that women feel safe when they aspire to leadership positions,” she says.

After his participation, he points out that he returns to Ecuador “not only with the knowledge of private conversations and those that are broadcast around the world, but also of those personalities that he (met) in the different dialogue spaces that make up the Davos congress center.”

Uyunkar Peas (i) and Atossa Soltani were awarded as social innovators in Davos. Photo: Courtesy

On the other hand, Uyunkar Peas was part of the indigenous leaders who contributed their knowledge to Davos, where this year they also launched the Indigenous Knowledge and Leadership Network, which planned to bring together indigenous experts and representatives in ten influential centers of the World Economic Forum.

Peas is currently the president of the Sacred Basins Alliance Foundation of the Confederation of Indigenous Nationalities of the Ecuadorian Amazon (Confenaie), which represents the region’s eleven indigenous nationalities. In addition, it is dedicated to promoting the rights and interests of the indigenous communities of the Amazon, they point out on the WEF website.