Introductory Remarks:

• Claudio Szajman, Executive President, VR Investments; Board Member, RenovaBR 
• Susan Segal, President and CEO, Americas Society/Council of the Americas 

Panelists:

• Tabata Amaral, Congresswoman, State of São Paulo, Brazil 
• Felipe Rigoni, Congressman, State of Espírito Santo, Brazil 
• Paulo Ganime, Congressman, State of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil 
• Brian Winter, Vice President, Americas Society/Council of the Americas; Editor-in-Chief, Americas Quarterly (moderator)

After their first 100 days in Brazil's Congress, three freshman legislators, graduates of RenovaBR, were at AS/COA in New York to talk about lessons learned and priorities to focus on during their terms. Paulo Ganime said one area of focus should be security, Tabata Amaral is prioritizing education, and Felipe Rigoni emphasized the need to pass pension reform. But all agreed that there is a better way to do politics in the country's lower house than what was done in the past. "You can go entire weeks where nothing is decided because of polarization, because it is more important to make your political point than to think about the future of the country," said Amaral when asked about her main frustration. Rigoni discussed how ending immunity for politicians could help. Ganime, on the other hand, said having new faces—like theirs—in the Chamber of Deputies is a sign of decreasing corruption.

Orador:

• Otto Sonnenholzner, Vicepresidente de Ecuador

"El mundo ve a Ecuador con ojos diferentes", dijo Otto Sonnenholzner quien asumió la oficina de la vicepresidencia apenas cinco meses atrás. En la conferencia de AS/COA en Guayaquil, la autoridad habló de los pasos claves que ha tomado la administración del Presidente Lenín Moreno en desviar al país de una política radical hacia una que es práctica y objetiva y que respeta el estado de derecho. También destacó la importancia de la minería legal y controlada para obtener resultados económicos, ambientales y sociales.

Vea más videos de la conferencia.

When Nayib Bukele takes El Salvador's presidency on June 1, he will be the youngest leader in Latin America. At the 49th Washington Conference on the Americas, he spoke about his hopes to increase investment and jobs in his country to fight what he called "forced migration," as one third of Salvadorans live outside the country today. In a conversation with CNBC's Michelle Caruso-Cabrera about the challenges for his presidency, Bukele estimated that every job created would be able to keep five people from emigrating. And, “the only way we can grow is with the help of international investment,” was his appeal to the room.

• Read a summary of the conference.
• Watch more speaker videos.

“It is unquestionable that over the last two years there has been profound transformation across Latin America," said U.S. Vice President Mike Pence at the 49th Washington Conference on the Americas. Pence's remarks covered U.S. relations with countries from Ecuador to Brazil, but focused, in large part, on supporting a democratic transition in Venezuela. He outlined the next steps the Trump administration is ready to take to pressure the Maduro regime, including holding Venezuelan Supreme Court magistrates accountable and removing sanctions on military leaders willing to defect.

• Get a summary of the conference.
• Read a transcript of Pence's remarks.
• Watch more speaker videos.