From August 20 to 22, 2025, a team from the Universidad del Pacífico (UP) traveled to Santiago de Chile to take part in the final of the China–Latin America Challenge to Alleviate Poverty 2025—an international initiative that unites young people from China and Latin America to propose innovative solutions to multidimensional poverty.
The Universidad del Pacífico team finished in second place in the competition, standing out among the best proposals in Latin America. In recognition of this achievement, students will travel to China to participate in a workshop on poverty alleviation strategies, which will again bring together young people from different countries to continue the exchange of experiences and good practices around this global challenge.
The group of UP students comprised:
- Frida Irene Conislla Huaracc (Economics – 3rd cycle)
- Rosa Soledad Llaccta Torres (Business Engineering – 4th cycle)
- Marisol Vizurraga Rivera (Information Engineering – 8th cycle)
- Jamil Andre Llaury Armas (Economics – 3rd cycle)
For the UP, this achievement reflects its students' commitment to research, innovation, and international cooperation as well as their ability to propose solutions with social impact.
The gathering, organized by Tsinghua University (China) in collaboration with the Universidad de Chile, the Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, the Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, and the Universidad del Pacífico, was held across the facilities of the Universidad de Chile y de la Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile. The event drew on sponsorship from Las Bambas (China Minmetals Corporation), China Mobile and, CGE (State Grid Corporation of China).
Three days of mentoring, reflection, and competition
On the first day, at the Universidad de Chile, students attended the welcome session and the Connected Voices workshop, which included dialogues and simulations on topics such as education, health, digital access, migration, social cohesion, biodiversity, and climate justice. The day also included a group project on multidimensional poverty and a field visit to the district of Lo Espejo, where the students were received by Lo Espejo mayor Javiera Reyes. There they learned about local experiences of collaborative work around "good living" and community initiatives to tackle poverty.
The second day unfolded at the Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, with students participating in a poverty alleviation seminar and mentoring sessions for the teams alongside professors from Tsinghua University, the Universidad de Chile, and the host institution. The final competition was held on the third day, with the teams presenting their projects to an international jury.
A space for global dialogue
The China–Latin America Challenge to Alleviate Poverty emerged in 2024 as a Tsinghua University-led initiative to promote cross-university dialogue between China and Latin America vis-a-vis common development challenges.
For this second edition, the competition was expanded to include a broader vision, new partner universities, and the active participation of companies such as MMG Las Bambas to highlight the role of the private sector in promoting sustainable projects for community well-being. Professors and experts from Chile, Brazil, Peru, and China agreed that the fight against poverty requires collective, intercultural, and sustainable efforts in which young people will play a vital role in imagining and realizing innovative solutions.
CECHAP's contribution to this event underpins its role as an active center in international academic spaces, contributing to dialogue and cooperation between China and Latin America in pursuit of a more inclusive and sustainable future.