Open Lecture with José María Vera, Director of Intermón Oxfam

By February 20, 2013Blog, Events

Join us next Monday February 25th for our next open lecture, featuring José María Vera, executive director of Intermón Oxfam, who will discuss the state of Cooperation in Spain in light of the financial crisis, and its crucial role in tackling the causes and effects of these crises in order to protect human rights.

The lecture will take place at ESARQ-UIC in the Saló de Graus at 7pm.

José María Vera (Madrid, 1965) is the director of Intermón Oxfam, the Spanish NGO and member of Oxfam International, dedicated to cooperation and development, humanitarian action, fair trade and social mobilization in the eradication of poverty and injustice. He studied Industrial Chemistry and made his first contact with cooperation as a volunteer for an Peruvian NGO. After working as an engineer for three years, he joined Intermón Oxfam in 1993 as director of the Madrid headquarters and later as manager of the Campaign and Studies Department. For the last six years he has worked in the Ibero-American General Secretariat coordinating the Ibero-American Summit cooperation programs, until becoming director of Intermón Oxfam in 2012. He cofounded Engineers without Borders Spain and continues to collaborate as a volunteer with various social organizations.

In his lecture, Vera will discuss the state of Cooperation in Spain, which has suffered severe budget cuts of up to 70% as a result of the financial crisis. In light of this, Vera will discuss the main challenges and justifications for maintaining and supporting Cooperation and Development during the crisis, and also highlight the lessons we can learn from past crises in Latin America and Asia, arguing that Cooperation can and should tackle both the causes and consequences of these crises and their effects on people and their rights.

Don’t miss it…and feel free to let us know you’re coming on Facebook!

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