On April 12, the president of Fundação Getulio Vargas, Carlos Ivan Simonsen, received a visit from Colombia’s new ambassador to Brazil, Guillermo Rivera, who was recently appointed by the Colombian president, Gustavo Petro. The objective of the event was to strengthen relations and cultural and academic exchange between students and professors at FGV and Colombian higher education institutions.

The ambassador had the opportunity to learn about FGV’s work and he expressed interest in strengthening relations between Brazil and Colombia. He also expressed interest in joint cultural initiatives to promote Brazilian authors in Colombia and vice versa.

During his visit, Rivera attended a lunch in FGV’s main building in Rio de Janeiro, together with FGV President Carlos Ivan Simonsen, International Director Marlos Lima and International Manager Klaus Stier. The meeting was part of the work of FGV’s International Affairs Division to promote corporate diplomacy and worldwide recognition of FGV as an education leader and think tank.

Colombia is one of Brazil’s main trading partners in Latin America. The two countries share a border and a considerable portion of the Amazon territory. They already have cooperation agreements in strategic areas such as science, technology, health, agriculture, exports, security and sustainability.

The Colombian ambassador’s visit to FGV reflected the two countries’ commitment to expanding academic cooperation and promoting the exchange of knowledge and experience, as well as FGV’s important role in Latin America as a leader in the areas of education and research.