From November 27th to December 1st, FGV Rio Law hosted the closing week of the 14th edition of the “Public Function Strengthening Program in Latin America,” promoted by Fundación Botín. During this period, FGV Rio Law welcomed 32 university students from 18 Latin American countries, including Pedro Burlini, a 6th-semester undergraduate student at FGV Rio Law, who was selected among the over 11 thousand candidates from across Latin America.
“I decided to apply for the selection process because I am very interested in working in public service, especially in an international organization. It has been an incredible experience; I've met many people with the same purpose of helping others and working with the public,” Pedro shares about his decision to apply for the program.

The program began on October 16th at the Universidad de los Andes (Bogotá, Colombia) and continued with a stay in Spain (Madrid, Santander, Camino de Santiago, and Salamanca). Throughout the program, students participated in classes and cultural activities, such as climbing in the Nansa Valley. “That was the activity that struck me the most. We were divided into groups, and my group took the longest because everyone had a lot of difficulties. Nevertheless, it was a great experience because everyone helped one another, and we managed to reach the top of the mountain after climbing more than a thousand meters. Arriving at the top with everyone waiting for us, singing, celebrating our arrival, was an experience I will never forget. It was great teamwork,” evaluates Pedro.

At the conclusion of the Program at FGV Rio Law, the students attended classes with our faculty members Álvaro Palma, Rodrigo Vianna, Wallace Corbo, Yasmin Curzi, and Walter Gaspar, in addition to professors from international institutions, such as Andrew Miller (Yale Law School), and Matthew Stephenson (Harvard Law School). The program also featured the participation of Lucas Padilha, president of Rio’s Municipal Committee for the G20 Organization and Special Coordinator of International Relations of the Rio de Janeiro, and Renan Ferreirinha, Secretary of Education of Rio de Janeiro. Besides their classes, the students' program in Rio de Janeiro included visits to the Centro de Operações Rio (COR) and the Sugarloaf Mountain.

“This partnership with FGV Direito Rio is very important for the Fundación Botín. For the program, having the possibility for the students to conclude their activities in a country like Brazil, getting to know the public policies carried out here, understanding Brazil's importance for Latin America, is the best possible conclusion. The success of the program is a shared success between the fundação Getulio Vargas and the Fundación Botín,” evaluates Javier García Cañete, program director at the Fundación Botín.

The Foundation's program aims to contribute to strengthening public institutions in Latin America and enhancing the creative talent of university students with leadership potential. Additionally, it enables students from different countries to contribute to the creation of networks of highly trained public servants committed to collective interests. The students receive training in the areas of Public Policy, Public Ethics, Creativity and Innovation, Leadership and Personal Skills, as well as Global Trends and Sustainability.

At the end of the activities, Pedro received the certificate for the best public policy essay of the edition. He highlights the importance of the program in confirming his purpose of working with the public. “One of the things I liked the most was having the opportunity to learn about the work of the Fundación Botín, which is extensive and operates in various sectors. In all the moments we were with their team, we saw their enthusiasm for working with people. This confirmed to me that I am on the right path and that this is what I want to pursue.”