Encuentros NOW Returns as a Global Platform for Solidarity, Innovation, and Education in 2023
Encuentros NOW is set to reunite thousands in a dynamic gathering that blends creativity, disruption, innovation, education, entertainment, and solidarity under the banner Stories of Solidarity for the Success of Society.
At the Esperanza Pertusa Foundation headquarters in Giosseppo, the Foundation’s patron Esperanza Navarro, Encuentros NOW President Manuel Bonilla, Juan Amirola, and Enrique Barreneche, president and director of the NGO Rafiki, convened a working meeting to advance a cooperative agreement as the starting signal for a renewed NOW Meeting.
Details about the event remain forthcoming. In keeping with NOW’s hallmark approach, the upcoming gathering is expected to wield global influence and confer professional prestige on speakers by sharing compelling stories and practical experiences.
During the session, Esperanza Navarro joined Manuel Bonilla, Juan Amirola, and Enrique Barreneche to pose questions that frame the event’s purpose: Is solidarity the lever that can transform society? Is altruism the key to people’s success? Is teamwork essential to building a resilient community? Can the world progress without voluntary action and generosity? What roles will future organizations, entrepreneurship, and leadership play? How do technology, science, and innovation assist those in need?
Core topics at NOW meetings span war mediation and conflict resolution, the fight against terrorism, global peace, strategies to weather economic crises, support for entrepreneurship, commitment to innovation and disruptive technologies, and the need to invest in more research to combat disease. Leadership development within organizations, resilience and improvement, the importance of corporate social responsibility, and discussions on AI and health also feature prominently, as seen at the recent European Forum on Artificial Intelligence with Information, Ellis Alicante, and Prensa Ibérica.
The Information newspaper recognized Encuentros NOW with its Important 2022 award, which will be presented at the Significant Gala on February 16 to celebrate a decade of work. As the organization’s acronym Not Just Words (not just words) implies, tangible outcomes have been achieved: a crowdfunding initiative to aid an ALS patient at a Boston hospital, collaboration with an ALS-focused association, and a research line dedicated to advancing solutions. Scholarships were awarded to business schools and universities, and support was provided to a person with a disability pursuing doctoral research on sustainability and the environment. Startups and projects employing artificial intelligence to improve human health also received recognition.
For this edition, the event’s goals include raising funds to support NGO Rafiki through two initiatives in Uganda: promoting women’s entrepreneurship and supporting a boarding school for female students, complemented by a local hospital. It will also spotlight the need to assist developing nations such as Uganda and other African countries affected by current global conflicts, with a particular focus on the challenges faced by women and girls.
The Esperanza Pertusa Foundation, an organization dedicated to serving the community with a focus on vulnerable groups such as women in Africa, shares values with Encuentros NOW and Rafiki. This Alicante-based NGO aims to improve living standards in two troubled regions of Uganda where per capita income is extremely low. Rafiki has already built wells, promoted water purification, established several primary and secondary schools, created agricultural education centers, sewing workshops, and other supporting activities.
Influence on social media, cross-continental discussions, and the support of more than two hundred companies, universities, and international organizations contributed to a vibrant NOW meeting, drawing nearly ten thousand attendees. Speakers included Lama Nachman, who revived Stephen Hawking’s voice; AI expert Nuria Oliver; Olga Blanco, IBM Vice President for Europe; Andrea Bernabéu, Medical Director; oncologist Aurelia Bustos; Frances Fajula, Capital Director at Mobile World; renowned chefs Paco Roncero, Alberto Chicote, Susi Díaz, Quique Dacosta, and pastry chefs Paco and Jacob Torreblanca; Pedro J. Ramírez, former director of El Mundo and current director of El Español; Nobel Peace Prize nominee Johang Galtung; Emilio Ontiveros, Francisco Ruiz, head of corporate affairs at Google Spain, and Javier Jiménez, general manager of Lanzadera in Portugal; among others. The lineup also featured Jorge Blass, a renowned magician, and other notable voices from diverse sectors, all contributing to a shared agenda of progress and solidarity .