Before a packed auditorium at the Museum of Latin American Art of Buenos Aires (Malba), Javier García Moritan, executive director of the Group of Foundations (GDFE), carried out a strong call to action in response to the challenges of inequality, the deterioration of democratic institutions and individualism. With the presence of more than 200 business leaders, from the public sector and civil society, the author offered a provocative vision in which he positions the private sector as the differential actor to achieve sustainable development.
García Moritán states in his book (Planeta, 2024) that to solve the most structural problems of our society we must align efforts and get out of the State vs. dilemma. market. According to the author, we find ourselves in the middle of a discussion that impoverishes us because we should not reduce political action to the State or dissolve the value of the public in the market. “To move forward we need all institutions, whether public, private and civil society, all must recognize calls to contribute to the public good.”
GDFE is a non-profit civil association made up of more than 80 foundations and companies committed to sustainable development that promotes collective action for the public good and territorially implements collaborative projects and influences better public policies.
Through collective action, as a new paradigm of sustainable development, García Moritán shapes a perspective that demands a transformation in the very foundations of the economy. In this book he invites us to privilege a model of maximizing impact and not just benefit and maintains the need for the State to play a modern role, capable of accelerating the commitment of all institutions to privilege the common good over the particular good.
Gustavo Castagninodirector of public affairs and sustainability at Genneia and president of the Group of Foundations and Companies, valued the confluence of the publication of the book with the 30 years that the GDFE is about to celebrate and called to think about the next three decades in which we can promote a private social investment focused on the country’s great challenges.
To frame this approach, the meeting had the vision of valuable references such as Gala Diaz Langouexecutive director of Cippec, who shared her perspective on the Argentine political and social context and how to promote a modern, intelligent and innovative State focused on macro stabilization, education and social inclusion. Matias Kellyfounder of Sumatoria, challenged the audience by asking “what we put ourselves at the service of” when we carry out our roles in society and Gaston RemyCEO of Nuqlea and formerly number one at Dow and Vista, gave testimony about the transcendent meaning that can be pursued from business activity where the search for profitability and impact must be two sides of the same coin.
During the presentation, the author spoke with Alberto Willi, associate professor at the IAE and prologue writer of the work. Together they went through the process by which García Moritán interviewed a hundred key figures from Argentina and abroad and interviewed some thirty CEOs to promote capitalism with a more human tone.
About GDFE:
Non-profit civil association made up of foundations and companies committed to sustainable development. Promotes collective action for the public good and implements collaborative projects territorially and influences better public policies. More than 80 organizations are part of the GDFE.
