OREANDA-NEWS. The 26th edition of the Freedom Forum, an event promoted by the Institute of Business Studies (IEE) and supported by Gerdau, Ipiranga and Souza Cruz, had approximately six thousand participants in two days of lectures held at the Center of Events of PUCRS, in Porto Alegre (Brazil), on April 8 and 9. The event aims to analyze social, political and economical issues by means of broad debates, resulting in suggestions of alternatives and ways to achieve greater social freedom and prosperity.

The most important and influential politicians, intellectuals, businessmen, and opinion makers in Brazil attended the event, such as the president of the Brazilian Central Bank, Alexandre Tombini, the CEO of Ayn Rand Institute, Yaron Brook, the director of Institute of Political Economy of the department of economics and finance at Utah State University, Randy Simmons, the former president of Embraer and Petrobras, Ozires Silva, and Jorge Gerdau Johannpeter, Chairman of the Board of Directors of Gerdau.

Gerdau is a leading producer of long steel in the Americas and one of the largest suppliers of special steel in the world. With over 45,000 employees, it has industrial operations in 14 countries - in the Americas, Europe and Asia - which together represent an installed capacity of over 25 million metric tons of steel per year. It is the largest recycler in Latin America and around the world it transforms, each year, millions of metric tons of scrap into steel, reinforcing its commitment to sustainable development in the regions where it operates. With more than 140,000 shareholders, the Company is listed on the stock exchanges of Sao Paulo, New York and Madrid.