On the morning of April 11th, Brazil local time, the Brazil promotional session for the "China-Latin American Youth Responding to Global Challenges: 2026 Poverty Alleviation Challenge" was successfully held online. Distinguished guests attending the event included Professor Chen Taotao, Professor and Ph.D. supervisor of School of Economics & Management at Tsinghua University , Director of the Tsinghua University Latin America Center and Director of the China-Latin America Management Research Center at Tsinghua SEM; Ana Celia Castro, Director of the Advanced Studies Institute of the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro (UFRJ) and President of the Brazilian Forum for Advanced Studies; Chen Mo, Education Counselor of the Chinese Embassy in Brazil; and Ligia Maura Costa, Professor at the Social and Legal Foundations Department of FGV EAESP and Director of the Center for Ethics, Transparency, Integrity, and Compliance (FGVethics) at FGV EAESP. This session attracted nearly 70 Latin American scholars and young students. Combined with the attendance of the previous Beijing session, the total number of participants for both events exceeded 180.
Photo：the Promotion Meeting for the "2026 Poverty Alleviation Challenge" in Brazil
The "2026 Poverty Alleviation Challenge" is co-founded by Tsinghua University, the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro (Brazil), the Pontifical Catholic University of Chile, the University of Chile, and the Universidad del Pacífico (Peru), and is co-organized by the Chinese Embassy in Brazil, the São Paulo School of Business Administration of the Getulio Vargas Foundation (FGV EAESP), and the Pontifical Catholic University of Peru. The project has received support from the Chinese Embassy in Brazil, the Chinese Consulate General in Rio de Janeiro, the Brazilian Embassy in China, the Chinese Embassy in Chile, the Chilean Embassy in China, the Chinese Embassy in Peru, and the Peruvian Embassy in China. Several well-known domestic and international companies, including Envision Group, CGE Group (Chile), Minmetals Las Bambas (Peru), Zhongshan (Beijing) Cultural Industry Co., Ltd., China Mobile International (Chile), Kwai Global, and Banco BOCOM BBM S.A. (Brazil), have provided important support for the competition.
In her opening remarks, Counselor Chen Mo expressed her pleasure at the keen interest shown by the attending students. She pointed out that the "Poverty Alleviation Challenge" provides a valuable opportunity for Chinese and Latin American students to collaborate on real-world development issues, encouraging students to actively participate. She also stated that the Chinese Embassy in Brazil will continue to support exchanges between Chinese and Latin American universities, creating more opportunities for young people to learn, innovate, and grow together. Professor Chen Taotao reviewed the achievements of previous editions. She highlighted that, coinciding with the China-Brazil Culture Year, the focus of the "2026 Poverty Alleviation Challenge" would shift from solely "poverty eradication" to a dual emphasis on "poverty alleviation and development." Furthermore, by guiding enterprises and institutions to directly propose topics and provide mentoring, the project aims to enhance the practical value of the proposed solutions. Finally, she expressed sincere gratitude to the Chinese Embassy in Brazil for its consistent support of the competition.
Photo: Guest Speeches (From left to right: Chen Mo, Chen Taotao)
Several international guests emphasized that the fight against poverty aims to expand human capabilities and dignity and requires cross-border collaboration. Professor Ana Castro stressed that poverty alleviation work concerns expanding human capabilities, enhancing freedom, and strengthening dignity, calling for innovation to expand collective capacity for poverty reduction. Professor Ligia Maura Costa noted that the "Poverty Alleviation Challenge," jointly organized by universities from multiple countries, closely links knowledge with impact. She stated that the project has developed into a long-term China-Latin America learning network, helping young people localize their experiences, which is significant for cultivating business leaders and addressing poverty.
Photo: Guest Speeches (From left to right: Ana Castro, Ligia Maura Costa)
During the competition introduction segment, the organizers detailed the competition format, transnational team formation mechanism, and incentive arrangements. They also introduced Tsinghua University's "5W1H+" poverty alleviation analysis tool, designed to guide participants in identifying current poverty conditions, clarifying root causes and coping strategies, and subsequently contemplating the localization of poverty eradication experiences in different contexts. Additionally, a set of institutional topics jointly released by top universities and enterprises was presented on-site, covering multiple fields such as education, digital technology, inclusive development, and sustainable innovation. Experts from academia, industry, and the public welfare sector have been introduced as mentors to ensure that all registered teams receive professional guidance throughout the entire process.
This promotion session marks the official launch of the "2026 Poverty Alleviation Challenge." Moving forward, the project will continue to bring together multinational students from diverse professional backgrounds, encouraging them to conduct in-depth field research. Based on respect for local national conditions and cultures, they will transform concerns about poverty alleviation into practical actions, explore innovative and feasible development solutions, and contribute youthful wisdom to the global cause of poverty reduction.
About the Poverty Alleviation Challenge:
In 2024, the Tsinghua University Latin America Center, the China-Latin America Management Research Center at Tsinghua SEM, and the Tsinghua University Student Global Competence Development Guidance Center, in collaboration with Latin American universities, launched the "China-Latin American Youth Responding to Global Challenges: Poverty Alleviation Challenge" in China, Brazil, and Chile, promoting university-led China-Latin America dialogue on poverty reduction. In 2025, the "Poverty Alleviation Challenge" project attracted over 300 teachers and students from 27 universities and enterprises across China, Brazil, Chile, and Peru, forming nearly 100 teams, 12 of which advanced to the finals held in Latin America. The "2026 Poverty Alleviation Challenge" will build upon the 2025 edition with increased innovation, gathering the strength of Chinese and Latin American youth to jointly explore poverty alleviation solutions.
Event Recording Link:
https://us02web.zoom.us/rec/share/IMKWzpntHJZWh6jkx_rbcNRjNxJnfTwTn_PRdBJJn4dQR6YiQYjnP9d99rN7Wxri.piOugES-Zci9wUVk
Password: i!a53er6
For more information about the Poverty Alleviation Challenge：
https://lac.tsinghua.edu.cn/jpy/gyjpy.htmhttps://povertyalleviationcompetition.org/
https://lac.tsinghua.edu.cn/jpy/gyjpy.htmhttps://povertyalleviationcompetition.org/
