<h6><strong>The Diplomat</strong></h6> <h4><strong>The Organization of Ibero-American States for Education, Science and Culture (OEI) announced this Tuesday the winners of the first Ibero-American Awards of the OEI for Cooperation for Development.</strong></h4> This is an initiative of this intergovernmental organization, the oldest among the Spanish and Portuguese-speaking countries, to recognize the work and contribution of entities or people to cooperation for the development of the region in different fields of social interest such as education, science or culture, according to the OEI in a press release. With the creation of these awards, the OEI - whose headquarters are in Madrid - reaffirms its commitment to cooperation, at a time when its importance is being questioned in multiple areas at an international level and in a climate of "alarming democratic fatigue", as its general secretary, Mariano Jabonero, recently pointed out. The press release also states that the awards are part of the celebrations of the 75th anniversary of the organization, “consolidated as the largest cooperation network in Latin America, with a territorial presence in 20 countries and with institutional, political and cultural relations that are widely recognized throughout the region.” “Far from being a one-off initiative, these awards are born with the intention of continuity to endure over time, as a highly valuable incentive to recognize the ongoing work of those who contribute to the development of our region,” added Jabonero. <h5><strong>Seven categories, 20 winners</strong></h5> In its first edition, the awards recognize twenty institutions and people of 13 Latin American nationalities for their reputable track record in seven areas of international cooperation, and in line with their mission areas: education and vocational training, higher education, science, culture, education and productivity, education in human rights and regional cooperation. In the education category, the winners were the National System of Training and Vocational Education (SINAFOCAL) of the Ministry of Labor, Employment and Social Security of Paraguay; Gerardo Martínez, Secretary General of the UOCRA of Argentina; the National Council for Educational Promotion (CONAFE) of Mexico; the Center for Improvement, Experimentation and Pedagogical Research (CPEIP) of the Ministry of Education of Chile; the organization “Entrepreneurs for Education” of Peru, and the Entreculturas/Fe y Alegría Foundation of Spain. In the higher education category, the winners were the Quality Leadership University of Panama (QLU); the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM); the State University at a Distance of Costa Rica and the Ortega-Marañón Foundation of Spain. In the science category, the winners were the Ecuadorian Network of Women Scientists; the organization Ciencia in Panama and the Secretariat of Science, Technology and Innovation of the Government of Cundinamarca in Colombia. The culture category has recognized the work of the Cuban Institute of Art and Cinematographic Industry of Cuba (ICAIC); the National Plan of the Arts of Portugal and the cultural manager Freddy Ginebra, of the Dominican Republic. For his contributions to cooperation in education and productivity, the Argentine lawyer and businessman José Urtubey has won the award; and in the category of education in human rights, democracy and equality, Father Ignacio “Nacho” Bagattini of Argentina has been recognized. Finally, in the category of regional cooperation, the prizes have been awarded to Christian Asinelli, Argentine political scientist and current vice president of Strategic Programming of the Development Bank of Latin America (CAF), and Amador Sánchez Rico, Argentine lawyer and diplomat, renowned expert on relations between the European Union and Latin America. The award consists of an OEI medal of honour and a certificate of recognition. These badges will be presented at commemorative events in parallel with the 75th anniversary celebrations taking place in the different countries that make up the organisation throughout 2025.
