2019 Proceedings Report

Summary of Discussion Sessions
Foreign Policy & Media
Media and Leadership
The role of media and its importance on fostering trust between both countries was also
part of the discussion session. Speakers and delegates referred to both conventional media
outlets and social media platforms as powerful tools that have unfortunately, due to the lack
of coverage, conveyed a misunderstood idea of both Australia to the Colombian audience
and vice versa.
Particularly, speakers noted with concern that due to the minimal coverage of Australian
news in Colombia and Colombian news in Australia, changing perceptions and
misconceived narratives about each country is increasingly difficult.
While misinformation was highlighted as a key obstacle to facilitate better understanding of
both countries, speakers noted that Australia and Colombia share a lot of values and
therefore they should use them to shorten geographical distance, break cultural barriers
and more importantly, promote new leaders that bring both societies closer together.
It was precisely in this line of thought that trust was also a common theme during this
discussion session. And from a neuroscientific perspective, it was emphasised that future
leaders and advocates of closer Australia-Colombia relations should embrace a long-term
vision and be fully conscious about the importance of leading with a strong focus on those
shared values, rather than emotional reactivity.
Finally, it was made explicitly clear that the geographical distance is not an issue. Some
speakers venture to say that in ten years from now the bilateral relation will be significantly
more effective because there is a lot of momentum.
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