Gonzalo Sanchez de Lozada, who served as president of Bolivia 1993-97, will discuss his work implementing "Plan de Todos" ("A Plan for Everyone") during a visit to campus on Thursday, Oct. 22, as a guest of the Downey Fellowship.
Sanchez de Lozada will present the fourth Downey Fellowship Address, titled "Plan de Todos: Economic, Social and Political Reform in Bolivia," at 4:30 p.m. in the auditorium of Luce Hall, 34 Hillhouse Ave. The event is free and open to the public.
During his presidency, Sanchez de Lozada worked to bring about profound reforms in Bolivia through his "Plan de Todos." He sought to promote participation of all Bolivians in the nation's democratic process by transferring decision-making authority and revenue sharing to local communities; to decentralize the administration of health, education and social services; to reform Bolivia's education system by establishing multilingual and multicultural programs, as well as standardized testing and accreditation; to attract foreign investors in Bolivia's state-owned monopolies; to create an obligatory pension fund system; and to introduce constitutional reforms into the nation's judicial system.
Although born in Bolivia, as a child Sanchez de Lozada moved with his family to the United States, where he received his elementary, secondary and university education (he holds a B.A. from the University of Chicago). During his lifetime, he has founded three businesses: Telecine, a documentary and film production company; Andean Geo-Services Ltd., a petroleum services company; and Comsur, a mining company that is now Bolivia's second largest such enterprise.
Sanchez de Lozada entered into public life in 1979, when he was elected as a member of the Chamber of Deputies representing the department of Cochabamba, a post to which he was re-elected. He has also served as senator for Cochabamba; president of the Senate; and minister of planning and coordination in the administration of President Victor Paz Estenssoro. Sanchez de Lozada gained popular recogition in 1985 as author of the "shock therapy" program that brought Bolivia's 25,000 percent per annum "hyper-inflation" under control and created the foundation for future economic stability and growth. Today, Bolivia has single digit inflation, the second lowest in Latin America.
In 1989, Sanchez de Lozada was a presidential candidate and won by a plurality, but a run-off in Congress turned the presidency over to the candidate who placed third in the elections. He served as head of the Movimiento Nacionalista Revolucionario (MNR) party from 1989 to 1993, when he was elected as Bolivia's 61st president. Today, he again heads the MNR and is involved in his private business interests.
The Downey Fellowship visit and lecture was established in memory of Russel H. Downey Jr. (B.A. 1944) by family and friends. It is administered by Timothy Dwight College, under the direction of Master Robert Farris Thompson. The college's "PUB" was renovated with these memorial funds and has been officially dedicated in the alumnus' memory.