OREANDA-NEWS. July 28, 2015. In an event held today at the Inter-American Development Bank headquarters, Luis Suarez and Marc Bartra from FC Barcelona’s starting lines, musical star Carlos Vives, Football Club Barcelona First Vice President Jordi Cardoner i Casaus, and IDB President Luis Alberto Moreno discussed how sports and culture can be used from a development perspective to improve the lives of children and youth in Latin America and the Caribbean.

“Sports and culture are not just a pastime in Latin American and Caribbean countries: they are also an effective tool for development. The IDB has been using sports to empower children and youth in the region for over a decade,” said Luis Alberto Moreno, President of the IDB. “Partners such as Fundaci? FC Barcelona have been essential in accomplishing this, by providing valuable financing and technical expertise to make our sports for development program successful.”

At the event, President Moreno moderated a discussion in which FC Barcelona players and Mr. Cardoner i Casaus discussed how sports have played a role in improving their own lives.

“At Football Club Barcelona, we have the capacity to truly support society and the less fortunate,” said Mr. Cardoner i Casaus. “FC Barcelona is more than just a soccer team as, in comparison to others, we have a stronger sense of social commitment. Working through partnerships such as this one allows us as a Club to turn this commitment into action while helping those who need it most.”

With projects in Argentina, Brazil, and Mexico, the IDB-FC Barcelona partnership has harnessed sports to improve educational and health outcomes, mitigate youth violence, and enhance social inclusion and youth employability. Since 2004, the IDB has expanded sports for development programs to 20 countries with over more than 20 partners.

Emphasizing the equally critical role of culture in empowering communities, Luis Alberto Moreno had an enlightening conversation with Colombian superstar Carlos Vives, discussing the transformational impact that culture and music play in the lives of young people and how it can be used to advance the development agenda.

“For me, music has always been a tool for personal growth,” remarked Vives. “That’s why I believe in the importance of utilizing culture and sports for development. I thank the IDB for the opportunity to share my story, to show how music can be a vehicle for social change, and to connect my country with the rest of Latin America and the Caribbean and the world.”

The event opened with a panel moderated by CNN Senior Correspondent Patricia Janiot and featuring Mauricio Heredia, General Director of the Rafa Marquez Foundation, and Josep Cortada, General Director of Fundaci? FC Barcelona. The Rafa Marquez Foundation and Fundaci? FC Barcelona collaborate with PepsiCo on sports for development project in Mexico.