About the “Poverty Alleviation Challenge”

Poverty alleviation is a common challenge for developing countries and for the world as a whole. In 2024, the Tsinghua University Latin America Center, the China–Latin America Management Research Center, SEM, Tsinghua University, and the Tsinghua University Student Global Competence Development Center joined hands with partner universities in Latin America to launch the China–Latin America Youth Responding to Global Challenges — 2024 “Poverty Alleviation Challenge” in China (Tsinghua), Chile, and Brazil, sparking a university-led dialogue on poverty alleviation across China and Latin America. In November of the same year, during Chinese President Xi Jinping’s visit to Brazil for the 19th G20 Leaders’ Summit and a state visit, Qiu Yong, Secretary of the CPC Tsinghua University Committee, and the President of the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro signed an inter-university cooperation agreement on the “China–Latin America Youth Responding to Global Challenges” project. The agreement was included in the list of outcomes of President Xi Jinping’s visit to Brazil, making the initiative a flagship project led by Tsinghua University to advance mutually beneficial development between China and Latin America.

The Founding Organizers of the 2026 “Poverty Alleviation Challenge” are Tsinghua University, the Pontifical Catholic University of Chile, the University of Chile, the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, and the University of the Pacific (Peru). The Co-organizers are the Embassy of China in Brazil, the São Paulo School of Business Administration at Fundação Getulio Vargas (FGV EAESP), the University of Santiago, Chile, and the Pontifical Catholic University of Peru. The Challenge aims to provide a cross-cultural collaboration platform for young people from China and Latin America, encouraging students to draw on their disciplinary strengths, build consensus through mutual learning, and develop innovative solutions to global poverty alleviation challenges with youth insight and creativity.

The 2026 “Poverty Alleviation Challenge” is supported by the Embassy of China in Chile, the Embassy of Chile in China, the Embassy of China in Brazil, the Consulate-General of China in Rio de Janeiro, the Embassy of Brazil in China, the Embassy of China in Peru, and the Embassy of Peru in China. Leading companies and institutions in China and abroad, including CGE, Envision Group, Minera Las Bambas S.A., Zhongshan (Beijing) Cultural Industry Co., Ltd., China Mobile International (Chile), DiDi Global Inc., Kuaishou International Business (KSIB), Banco BOCOM BBM S.A., and the Luksic Foundation, have also provided important support for the Challenge.

2026 “Poverty Alleviation Challenge” Chile Final Poverty Alleviation Seminar

The 2026 “Poverty Alleviation Challenge” has attracted 666 young participants from 88 universities, companies, and institutions across China, Chile, Brazil, Peru, and other countries, forming 119 teams. The preliminary round was held in June across the four national competition divisions in China, Chile, Brazil, and Peru. Experts from universities and relevant fields in China and Latin America jointly participated in the review, assessing both the quality of proposals and the depth of transnational collaboration. Ultimately, 12 outstanding teams advanced to the Chile and Brazil Finals, with projects spanning offline AI education, Amazon agroforestry, oral health for migrants, circular economy, logistics infrastructure, rural water safety, cultural preservation, and bioenergy from fishery waste.

The Chile Final of China–Latin America Youth Responding to Global Challenges — 2026 “Poverty Alleviation Challenge” will be held in Santiago from August 17 to 19. On the morning of August 18, the Chile Final Poverty Alleviation Seminar will take place in the auditorium of the Faculty of History, Geography and Political Science, San Joaquín Campus, Pontifical Catholic University of Chile. The program will feature two presentations, two panels, and audience Q&A sessions, focusing on cross-border collaboration for poverty alleviation and how youth proposals can move from pitch to practice. The seminar will bring together guests from Tsinghua University, the Pontifical Catholic University of Chile, the UNAM Center for Latin America, the University of Chile, the University of Santiago, Chile, Universidad Adolfo Ibáñez (UAI), CGE, the Solidarity and Social Investment Fund (FOSIS), China Mobile International (Chile), and other universities, public institutions, and companies to exchange perspectives and practical experience on China–Latin America cooperation in poverty alleviation and youth-led innovation.

Event Information

Chile Time: Tuesday, August 18, 2026, 09:00–11:50

Beijing Time: Tuesday, August 18, 2026, 21:00–23:50

In-person Venue: Auditorium, Faculty of History, Geography and Political Science, San Joaquín Campus, Pontifical Catholic University of Chile

Address: Auditorio Facultad de Historia, Geografía y Ciencia Política, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, Campus San Joaquín, Av. Vicuña Mackenna 4860, Macul, Santiago, Chile

Language: English

Zoom Link: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/84081121525?pwd=IicD1ehKNziTBfI3cIKaL8pYjqIbCr.1

Meeting ID: 840 8112 1525

Passcode: 974723

Seminar Highlights

The seminar features two presentations, two panels, and interactive Q&A sessions, bringing together perspectives from business, political science, accessibility development, finance, agriculture, international studies, Latin American history, public service, and corporate practice. Discussions will focus on cross-border collaboration for poverty alleviation and the practical implementation of youth proposals.

Highlight 1 | Two Presentations and Audience Q&A

José Miguel Benavente and Francisco Urdinez will each deliver a presentation and engage in audience Q&A. Coming respectively from the fields of business and political science, the two speakers will draw on their academic and practical experience to bring diverse professional perspectives to the seminar.

José Miguel Benavente | Professor, Business School, Universidad Adolfo Ibáñez (UAI); Former Executive Vice President, CORFO

Francisco Urdinez | Associate Professor, Institute of Political Science, Pontifical Catholic University of Chile; Director, Center for Asian Studies (CEA-UC); Director, Millennium Nucleus on the Impacts of China in Latin America and the Caribbean (ICLAC), National Agency for Research and Development (ANID), Government of Chile

Highlight 2 | Bringing Together Multidisciplinary Perspectives to Advance Cross-Border Collaboration for Poverty Alleviation

The first panel brings together perspectives from accessibility development, finance, agriculture and international studies, and Latin American history. It will explore how cross-border collaboration can better understand local challenges, integrate diverse knowledge, and develop sustainable pathways for cooperation.

Shao Lei | Dean, Institute for Accessibility Development, Tsinghua University

Feng Jian | PhD Student, Department of Finance, School of Economics and Management, Tsinghua University

Sofía Boza Martínez | Associate Professor, Faculty of Agricultural Sciences and Institute of International Studies, University of Chile

César Ross Orellana | Professor, Institute for Advanced Studies, University of Santiago, Chile; Recipient of the 2024 National History Prize of Chile

Highlight 3 | Connecting Proposals with Practice and Exploring Pathways for Youth Innovation

The second panel turns to practical implementation, focusing on local knowledge, corporate resources, links to public services, and support for rural innovation. It will explore how youth proposals can enter real-world settings and gradually develop into sustainable and replicable models.

Andrea Freites | Expert, Pontifical Catholic University of Chile

Liu Shuai | Country Deputy Head, China Mobile International (Chile)

Rodrigo Hernández Allel | Head of the Habitability Department, Solidarity and Social Investment Fund (FOSIS)

Zhao Daqi | Research Fellow, Institute for Rural Construction, Tsinghua University; Director, Innovation and Entrepreneurship Center, Tsinghua University Rural Revitalization Workstation

Agenda at a Glance

Venue Map

The seminar will be held in the auditorium of the Faculty of History, Geography and Political Science (Building 7), San Joaquín Campus, Pontifical Catholic University of Chile. The venue is marked with a red circle on the map.

The 2026 “Poverty Alleviation Challenge” Chile Final Poverty Alleviation Seminar is not only an important part of the 2026 “Poverty Alleviation Challenge” transnational finals, but also a platform for deeper dialogue between young people and experts from China and Latin America and for mutual learning on poverty alleviation and development. Through a hybrid online and in-person format, the seminar will bring together guests from government, business, academia, and research across China and Latin America. Through presentations, panel discussions, and interactive Q&A, participants will exchange experience in cross-border collaboration for poverty alleviation and the practical implementation of youth proposals. The seminar will offer youth teams professional insights, local experience, and practical feedback, while further strengthening the bridge for exchange and collaboration between young people in China and Latin America. We warmly invite you to join us and witness the exchange of ideas and shared wisdom!