Past winners: humanitarians.

Lazaro de Mello Brandao

Lazaro de Mello Brandao has been working for Brazilian bank Bradesco for more than 60 years. Today, he is the president of the board of directors of the bank, the largest in Brazil. But he has reason to be proud of another top job: He is president of the Fundacao Bradesco, which invests in Brazilian education. With more than 100,000 students in 40 schools in 26 Brazilian states, Fundacao Bradesco has spent US$210 million to teach children and adults everything from basic education to high-tech professional skills.

What is the most important trend or event of the past 10 years?

I understand the process of globalization was one of the main drivers behind the events of the last decade. It was a period when free-market principles prevailed among trade relationships and financing between companies, banks and countries. Technological advances and neoliberal theories among the biggest countries gave sufficient backing to shape the characteristics of the time.... Developing countries had to quickly adapt their economic policies. Many changes occurred in the way companies were managed. There was a significant acceleration in the speed in which capital moved.

What about the next 10 years?

The world suffered great changes during the last 10 years. It wouldn't be sensible to continue such shocks for the next 10 years. ... I can imagine some assumptions: The global economy will pass through a new phase of accommodation, beginning with some basic questions: What is going to happen with China? Is Japan going to return to growth? Will the Americas form a bloc? Will technology provide wireless communications solutions economically? I believe that will world will get better. But the great unknown will continue to be the search to reduce poverty and social inequality.

Baltasar Garzon

The Andalusian judge known in Spain as the "superjudge" first rose to national prominence when he uncovered evidence that the Spanish government, under former Prime Minister Felipe Gonzalez, was sponsoring death squads to target members of the Basque separatist group ETA. His relentless 10year campaign eventually concluded with the arrest and conviction last year of a former Spanish security chief and a former Spanish government minister. In his dogged pursuit of the truth over the years, Garz6n has fought the likes of government officials, drug barons and the ETA itself--even issuing the first known indictments against al-Qaeda and Saudi terror chief Osama bin Laden. At age 33, he became one of the youngest ever to be named to Spain's National Court, the country's highest. Still, nothing has brought Garzon more attention--both good and bad--than his attempt to try former Chilean dictator Augusto Pinochet on charges of torture and murder of Spanish citizens.

Eventually, Pinochet was sent home. Chilean courts also failed to try the aging dictator, although the case has been reinvigorated recently by unexplained millions in U.S. bank accounts in the general's name.

Oded Grajew

Social responsibility plays an ever-bigger role in every company's success. Oded Grajew realized just that. Founder and president of the Instituto Ethos de Empresas e Besponsabilidade Social, Grajew heads the nonprofit organization of more than 800 Brazilian companies with the objective of developing corporate activities to be more socially responsible as part of a long-term process of continuous evaluation.

What is the most important trend or event of the past 10 years?

It was the acceleration of the globalization process, with technology growing more and more sophisticated, as with the media, the Internet, etc.... [Globalization] represents immense opportunities but also great threats to the human species. It has yet to be determined what type of civilization and future we are going to have. There are rather threatening perspectives and, at the same time, there is the possibility to eradicate misery, to establish a world at peace, to globalize knowledge in a way to improve people's lives. For the first time, we are ahead of the need to debate on the planet.

What about the next 10 years?

It will be the environment, as we live on the resources we extract from the planet. ... Conflicts, not by chance, concentrate around the Middle East, where most of the world's oil is found. There is already great debate concerning control of natural resources, which are going to grow scarce and increase in necessity. That said, there is the question of global governance. The U.N. was established after the Second World War with the objective of establishing world peace. Today, there are several questions raised over the U.N.'s role, which does have centralized governance based on decisions of the Security Council, based on the power of five countries who are permanent members with the right to veto. The U.N. and all international bodies that deal with global issues must be rethought.

Rodrigo Baggio

Rodrigo Baggio wanted to bring digital technology to low-income communities, so he formed the Comite para Democratizacao da Informatica in 1995. Today, the organization has more than 840 computer science and citizenship learning centers operating in 20 Brazilian states and 11 countries.

What is the most important trend or event of the past 10 years?

We saw a movement to promote digital inclusion of the entire world. The last 10 years were so important that the issue grew to be a global agenda.

What about the next 10 years?

I see the next 10 years as the defining moment for the impact of the information society. Our great challenge, later, will be to utilize information and communication technology as a tool for citizenry.... It's not only about transforming lives and developing lower-income societies, but it's also about transforming our society as a whole to give it more equality. This is our "e-topia." The event that could make this possible in the next 10 years will be the growth of a digital democracy, to be able to use these great communication and knowledge networks in a participative way so that all sectors in society can take part in the development of our new jobs, leisure, education, etc. Imagine large, global plebiscites taking place through the democratic use of the Internet. With the growth of new information and communication technology, we figured out it would be fundamental to take these technologies to those who could not access them.

Juan Hernandez

Juan Hernandez, head of the Office for Mexicans Living Abroad (now called the Institute for Mexicans Abroad), led negotiations with the United States to improve immigration issues between the two countries. His work was crucial considering that some 10 million Mexicans live in the United States, a figure that rises by 390,000 every year. While Mexican President Vicente Fox fought to change Washington's immigration policies, Hernandez was the man who had to make those policies work. He is credited with reducing violence along the border, although he feels his work on the Mexican side of the border deserves credit also. Mexicans living in the United States "are beginning to have a confidence in Mexico that they never had before, and they want to participate in this new Mexico," Hernandez told LATIN TRADE.

Paulo Roberto Teixeira

As director and advisor to the HIV/AIDS Department of the World Health Organization in Geneva for developing countries, Teixeira's main objective was to implement the so-called "three by five" strategy, which calls for a minimum number of 3 million people in HIV/AIDS treatment programs in poor countries by 2005. Teixeira is one of the pioneers in the fight against AIDS in Brazil where he won international recognition as the director of the Health Ministry's program against the disease by defending the distribution of generic medicines in the face of an epidemic.

What is the most important trend or event of the past 10 years?

The most important event in the last decade, in the area of health, was the global expansion of the AIDS epidemic, and, to compensate, the discovery of combined antiretroviral treatment, combined therapy and the dramatic results attained during the period.... In the area of health, the AIDS epidemic is the most important factor in the history of public health. It is an epidemic of the greatest dimension and with the greatest impact in the history of human health. Concerning treatment, intervention is possible thanks to the research, results and work, etc. But the number of people affected in developing countries with access to medicine is very minute.

What about the next 10 years?

It will continue to be the AIDS epidemic or the challenge to bring treatment to poor countries.... This process is going to essentially depend on our capability to mobilize the international community in the measure that hefty monetary resources will be invested that are concentrated in the rich countries. We are making progress and the way is to make the international community assume responsibility in confronting this epidemic of vast proportions. It's not just a question of goodwill, but about support, etc. To combat AIDS, a lot of money will be necessary for both research and prevention as well as for the treatment of the millions already affected. The money in this world is concentrated in the richer nations, and one hopes they will come pay the bill.