On Wednesday, Chilean President Gabriel Boric Font visited Columbia University for the third time in the past three years.

As part of the World Leaders Forum, President Gabriel Boric Font of the Republic of Chile participated in a conversation with Maria Victoria Murillo, Director of the Institute for Latin American Studies and Columbia Professor of Political Science and International and Public Affairs. The event took place in the Low Library Rotunda, where Boric and Murillo discussed the state of democracy and human rights in Latin America and talked about a number of issues affecting Chile and the Latin American community today.

Interim President Katrina Armstrong introduced Boric, who has been a frequent visitor to Columbia’s campus. In 2023, he visited Columbia Business School to talk about economic development, and in 2022, he participated in the World Leaders Forum less than a year after being elected president.

Primarily speaking through a translator, Boric and Murillo discussed a variety of topics, including the recent Venezuelan elections, environmental sustainability policy, and the prevalence of organized crime.

In discussing the Venezuelan election, Boric said that the crisis that ensued after Nicolas Maduro was declared the winner was “used as a tool,” and said that the focus should be placed on the people. Boric said that over 800,000 Venezuelan refugees are in Chile, and that the difficulties that they have faced are a tragedy. He also acknowledged the lack of coordination in Latin America in challenging the consensus of Maduro’s victory.

Murillo then questioned Boric on democratization and the development of environmental sustainability policy in Latin America. The president said that these issues have to be tackled slowly in order to be permanently dealt with, and that currently income inequality is the main issue facing Chileans today. 

On the issue of environmental policy, Boric discussed the energy transition and extraction of natural resources. He said that the climate crisis is a byproduct of human action, and that in order to properly address the problem, all Latin American leaders have to acknowledge their contribution to the issue. Boric claimed that Chile is promoting carbon neutrality through increased use of solar and wind power, and that many developed economies have greater responsibility to address climate change due to their overuse of natural resources in Latin America.

After Murillo’s questions, students had the opportunity to line up and ask questions. The topics included the Israel-Hamas war, femicide in Latin America, and relations between Chile and the US.

In answering a question posed by a student about how Boric would react to a terrorist attack, presumably in reference to the current conflict in Israel, the president responded that he would “start by not killing and committing genocide,” to which the audience applauded loudly. He clarified that he condemns Hamas and the attacks on Israeli people, saying that the pain experienced by both sides is valid. Boric stated that he supports a two-state solution and South Africa’s genocide case against Israel, saying that Israel has repeatedly violated international law.

On the issue of femicide, Boric talked about how violence perpetrated against women in Chile is rooted in deeper cultural issues. He said that it was not just a physical act of violence but that it spoke to a long history of misogyny, and he stated that Chile recently passed a new law protecting women against abuse. In terms of US-Chile relations, Boric said that he has a good relationship with President Biden, although he cited the 1973 coup d’etat, supported by Richard Nixon, as a historical source of strain between the two countries.

Boric was hopeful about the future of the relationship between the US and Chile, saying that “We have a relationship that is between equals […] we have continuous dialogues, even having differences in opinion.”

Boric, Murillo, and Armstrong at the World Leaders Forum via Author