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#2020WCA Video: Sebastián Piñera, President of Chile

The president took questions from AS/COA members about Chile’s pension plans, the upcoming plebiscite on constitutional reform, pandemic economic relief legislation, and more.

Speakers:

  • Sebastián Piñera, President of Chile
  • Jan Van Acker, President of Emerging Markets Human Health, Merck (introduction)
  • Andrés Gluski, Chairman, Americas Society/Council of the Americas (moderator)
  • Eric Farnsworth, Vice President, Americas Society/Council of the Americas (welcome)

Early 2021. That’s when Sebastián Piñera hopes Chile will be past the peak of COVID-19 and on its way to economic recovery. In a keynote address as part of the 2020 Washington Conference on the Americas and Presidents of the Americas series, the head of state touted his country’s achievements in per capita income growth and poverty reduction in the three decades since the return to democracy, while also acknowledging the need for those gains to continue so that the country doesn’t become ensnared in the “middle-income trap.” To that end, he highlighted his commitment to improve and invest in technology and education and spoke about the importance of foreign investment. Later, the president took questions from AS/COA members about Chile’s pension plans, the upcoming plebiscite on constitutional reform, pandemic economic relief legislation, and more.

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