Are taking the lead. Problems, they are seeing injustice, and they are finding ways to take action. The main message i want you to know is that you have a partner in me and in the United States government. And we will work together. [applause] [cheers] president obama we are going to work together. We expect the fellowship to continue, but i want you to know that i will continue to be involved, even after i am president , because i want to make sure that we continue to invest in your success. If you succeed, not only does your country succeed but the world succeeds. I am very excited to see the great things you will do. Lets take some questions. I am going to take off my jacket, because it is a little hot. [cheers] [laughter] president obama i was not trying to get a cheer out of that. Someone grab this . Thank you, mike. We will start with this gentleman right here. Please introduce yourself. Hold on, the microphone is not working. Not yet . Do we have a second microphone . Hold on, here is the technical expert. Here we go. Here is another one. Yet . Uhoh. Here we go. We will try this one. One of these is going to work. Testing. President obama there you go. Here we go. Finally. [applause] good afternoon. I am here from venezuala. We are working on a platform for in latin america, and i am a proud member of the fellows. I am here to read a question from our network. There were 200 questions on facebook. So carlos asks, in our country, there is a debate on what matters most in our democracy . How can we create a world where we do not have to choose between them . Both are important. Thank you, very much. President obama that is a great question and a timely question, because i think that after a decade in which we have seen more and more countries adopt democratic practices, you are now starting to see some of those gains reversed. You are seeing some countries going backwards rather than forwards in terms of freedom of the press, freedom of the internet, in terms of respecting political opposition and civil society. And there are those that argue that democracy is incompatible with development, because you need order. You need somebody from the top to tell people what to do in order to achieve. I would suggest that you look at the evidence over the last 2040 years. Those countries that pursue democracy, transparency, where the leaders are held accountable, those are the countries that are doing best. Those countries that are repressive, that do not respect democracy, that silences critics, they go backwards economically. It makes sense when you think , in this timeuse that we live in, development is based on knowledge and innovation and education and new thinking and sharing of ideas. It is not based on how much land you had or natural resources, it is based on people. In a democracy, what we are able to do is through the Freedom People enjoy, they are able to create and to start businesses, what is also true is they are able to hold the government accountable, so when the government does not deliver where the people, they engage in corruption. If policies only benefit if you a few, people can react and overtime they will get better policies from the government. Look at what has happened on the coast here in latin america. You look at chile, peru, colombia all of them are doing better and going faster because of a new openness in the democracy that exists. What is true here is true around the world. The one thing i have to say is, democracy is more than just elections. Democracy is also a free press, it is also freedom of religion, it is making sure that the rights of minorities are protected, not just the majority. It is rule of law. And an independent judiciary. It is a matter of all of these elements coming together. But the main thing we have learned is that in this knowledgebased economy, this society, you can maintain order for a while with a nondemocratic government, but it will rot from within. Over time, those governments fail and those economies fail, because when they make mistakes they tried to hide them instead of solving them. When somebody has a legitimate criticism of a problem, it can be ignored because politicians do not have to answer. And eventually those societies will do much worse, often times by increasing repression as people get more and more dissatisfied and the society breaks down. It is true that nondemocratic countries are likely to get into wars with other countries. Democracies try to solve problems through diplomacy and dialogue. Not only is there a contradiction, it is my belief that in order in this new economy for development to be successful, you need democracy. I will say one must think. Last thing. Democracy can be frustrating, you do not always get 100 of what you want. It means sometimes you have to compromise and it means that the outcomes of elections do not always turn out the way you hope. Then, and we are going through that in the u. S. And i am doing everything i can to facilitate a Successful Transition with the president elect, but as long as we keep our democratic systems open, then the society has a chance to try something new and you can make a decision and correct problems they face in the future and progress continues. Alright. Lets see. [applause] president obama you . Lets get a microphone to you. Introduce yourself. I apologize, my spanish is just ok. We are doing this in english, but hopefully i am being clear. Go ahead. I am very glad you are here in my country. For me, my question is, what do you think about the European Union coming together to promote military integration in defense after the victory of donald trump . Do you think we have global paranoia or created by the media or is it real . President obama what is your name . [indiscernible] president obama nice to meet you. You are a student . Yes. [cheers] president obama you have some classmates here. The United States is such a big country that after an election people are uncertain. I think it will take i think it will be important for everybody around the world to not make the media judgments immediate judgments, but give the new president elect a chance to examine issues, to determine what their policies will be, because what i have said is the way that you campaign is not the way you will govern. We are trying to stir up passions, but when you govern you have reality in front of you and you have to decide, how will i make this work. The alliance between the u. S. And europe through nato is very strong. And the president elect, donald trump, has already reaffirmed our commitment to native to nato. We have been asking for europe to carry more of the burden of defense spending than they have been doing, because the United States spends a lot more than some of our partners. And they recognize the need for them to spend more resources on that. With respect to latin america, i do not anticipate major changes in policy from the new administration. I think the work we have done has been successful in establishing the strongest relationships between the United States and latin america in modern history. The friendships we have established with peru, the reopening of diplomatic relations with cuba, the investments we are making in trade and environmental policy and so forth, all of those i expect to continue. There are going to be tensions that arise come up probably around trade more than anything else. Because the president elect campaigned on looking at every trade policy into potentially reversing some of those policies. But once they look at how it is working, i think they will determine it is good for the United States and its partners. There may need to be modifications, i have called for modifications and elements of our trading policy. When we established the free trade agreement, one of the requirements was for peru to strengthen their protection of labor rights, and we did that in part because with all of our trading partners, we do not want to be disadvantaged because we are dealing with labor that has no right and so they get the lowest wages. We didnt also because did it also because it will lift the wages and protections that workers here enjoy. Because ultimately, that is good for everybody. One thing i really believe is when you pay workers well, ordinary people getting a decent wage and benefits and protections, then they have more money and they go out and spend that money, which is good for business and everybody is better off. That is the kind of attitude we want to promote in the years going forward. My hope is that that policy will continue. My main message to you and what i delivered in europe is, do not assume the worst. Wait until the administration is in place and is actually putting policies together and then he can make your judgment as to whether or not it is consistent with the international communitys interest in living in peace and prosperity together. [applause] president obama alright. Ok. So, what i am doing is i am going boy, girl, so everybody gets a fair chance. Right here in the purple shirt. [cheers] thank you very much. I want to say thank you for being such a great world leader. I truly think you have done your best in making the world a better place. President obama i appreciate that. Thank you. Where are you from . I am from the bahamas. I am the son of two haitian immigrants and i am a human rights activist. I do advocacy work on the radio, because it is a great form of medication. You spoke about youth and us shaping the future and to the direction of the world and what it will be like in the near future. I will give you an example of what i experienced and a question that can apply to all of us young people. There is a perception on you not being a native. That youge individual would come into contact with would see you in a certain light and so the opportunities to assist your country are diminished. For example, i am trying to bridge the gap. But government officials want to say you are fighting the haitians to take over the bahamas. I just want people to live in peace in the bahamas. If you had the opportunity to have all of our prime ministers and president s in one room and you have one word of advice that you could give those leaders with regards to young people, especially millennials, what would you say to those leaders . I have had those opportunities a number of times and they do not always follow my advice. But to your broader point we live in a world that is smaller than ever before. Because of the internet and modern travel, your generation gets ideas and culture and your politics from everywhere. You are listening to everything from Rolling Stones to, you know, Kendrick Lamar to, you know, salsa, reggae, so what is true music, what is true food is also true in politics and ideas. The great thing about young people is that has made your identities both national but also international. People here are peruvian, but you are also people who care about what happens around this continent and around the world. It means that you can be both proud of your haitian heritage and live in the bahamas, and also be concerned about what happens in africa or what is happening in myanmar. That is a good thing. I will be honest with you, older people are threatened than younger people by this convergence. Now that i have gray hair, i see what happens as you get older. You get set in your ways. You are afraid of things that are new. And often times, politicians can feed into that sense that everything is changing so fast, lets go back to our old identities. Identities of race or tribe or nationality. And my main advice, not just to World Leaders but world citizens, to citizens around the world, if you are defining yourself by what you are not, just by the color of your skin or where you were born, then you are not fully appreciating what will give you a strong identity and meaning in your life and what will lead to prosperity and security for everyone. That is the values and ideals that we should all promote, that we respect everybody regardless of what they look like, that we give everybody opportunity no matter or they were born, whether they were born poor or they were born rich. We have laws that everybody has to observe, not just laws for one set of people and then laws for a different set of people. The problem with that approach, a very narrow way of thinking about yourself, is that means you have to be in conflict with somebody else. The most important thing about you is that you are an american, if that is the one thing that defines you, then you may end up being threatened by people from other places when in fact you might have a lot in common and miss other opportunities. I am a very proud american, and my job as president of the United States is to look out for american interests, but my argument to the American People is the best way to look up for american interests is also to care about what is happening in our neighborhood, because in their house is burning down, eventually my house will burn down. The best way for my daughters to be secure as americans is to make sure that people in el salvador or guatemala are also feeling somewhat security, because if not, that may spill over the borders to us. And some of the challenges that we face today are ones that no single group can solve. You look at Something Like climate change, that knows no borders. If there is pollution in china, it affects you here. If we are going to make sure the oceans dont rise so suddenly all the streets around lima are two feet underwater, then it will require everybody taking the kind of collective action we talked about in the paris agreements. So i think that we should all have the capacity, and governments should reflect this capacity, to be proud of our particular circumstance, be proud that, you know, you are haitian, be proud you are in the bahamas. Be proud you are young black men. Be proud of your particular identity, but also see what you have in common with people who dont look like you or dont come from the same places you do. Because if we see what we have in common, then we will be able to work together, and that is good for all of us. If all we see is differences, then we are automatically going to be in competition. In order for me to do well, i have to put you down. Which then makes you want to put me down. And everybody stays down here instead of everybody lifting each other up. The most important thing we can do. [applause] president obama so it is a womans turn. Ok. Everybody is pointing at this young lady. All of her friends are pointing at her because she has something important to say. [cheers] welcome to peru, mr. President. My name is sophia, and my friends and i are students. You have met mariana. Do you remember [indiscernible] Marianna Acosta . I am a student over there. We are so excited to get a job in tech, but there is so many young people without our type of opportunity. So what do you recommend for more quality education or opportunity for people in latin america . President obama the program you described is doing great work, and there is a lot of good work across latin america. One of the goals is to make sure that not only are we providing a great education for people at the younger stages, basic reading, arithmetic, all those things, but today, you also need to have some knowledge of technology. And what we are trying to do is to work with governments and ngos who expand access to the internet, to digital platforms, and what we also want to do then is help design curriculums and programs through the internet so that Online Learning is accessible in places where previously there might not be opportunities. We are seeing some of those investments here in peru. That is part of the broader Educational Program that we have throughout latin america, that we can still do more. It is not just us. It is a Publicprivate Partnership also. In facebook, microsoft, google, other Big Companies who have an interest in an educated population because the more educated and the more wired they are, the more overtime customers are using their products and their platforms. What we want to do is to make sure that everybody, even in the smallest village, has suddenly this library to the world and the best educational opportunities, even if there is not a Big University in that small town. Some of the learning that we can do, it doesnt have to be four years. Sometimes a sixweek program could teach people coding and computers, and suddenly right away that person has a job, and then they can learn more and ultimately go and get a fouryear education. But what you need is that first step. We are doing this in the United States, by the way. It is not just in latin america. In the United States, one of the things we are finding is we need to expand Computer Science and literacy in the schools. We need to make sure also that we set up Technical Training systems where somebody who is unemployed in a city where the used to be a big factory but now the factory is closed, or because of automation and robots, fewer people are working there, those people have lost their jobs, they might not be able to afford a fouryear university. Give them six weeks, eight weeks or 10 weeks of training. Get them in a job right now, and then overtime, they can learn even more. So congratulations, you guys are doing great work. [applause] president obama all right. Ok. So this is a team effort now. It is good to see this cooperation. Everybody is pointing at one person. This gentleman right here, right in the front. [applause] hello, mr. President. I am a student of this Beautiful University with a Gorgeous Group of people. I will give context to my question. The smartest man i know is my dad. My dad was born in cuba. He went to the United States to get an opportunity. He lived all of his life there from Community College to doctorate, and he managed to do a lot of things because of the open arm policy towards him. Today many immigrants can make the immigration, because there is still this open arm. But now they are saying they will have a closeddoor policy. In your opinion, what do you think that today, the stand of the usa is for offshore innovators for people that want to go to harvard, m. I. T. , yale, and what would b