Javier Vargas Mendoza is President of La Liga Iberoamericana de Organizaciones de la Sociedad Civil por la Superación de la Pobreza y la Exclusión Social (La Liga), an international association of civil society organizations (CSOs) dedicated to combatting poverty and social exclusion. He is also a co-founder and Member of the Board of the Queretaro Community Foundation.
Previously, Mr. Vargas was a co-founder and President of Vamos Foundation. During that time he has strongly collaborated with numerous indigenous and civil organizations in Mexico as well as other countries. He has been a prominent leader in his work for peace and social development for more than forty years.
Mr. Vargas is a co-founder and member of several organizations such as “Enlace Comunicación y Capacitación”? and “Convergencia de Organismos Civiles por la Democracia,”? a national civil organizations network. He has been a consultant for UNICEF, National Bank of Mexico (Human Resources Department) and the Council for Adult Education in Latin America (CEAAL). Additionally, he is a former member of the Maryknoll Mission Association. He has been a speaker and participant of the World Economic Forum in Davos, Buenos Aires and Cancun. He served as a member of the National Consulting Board for the Interamerican Development Bank in Mexico and was a consultant for the Ministry of Social Development (SEDESOL) and the “Fondo Nacional de Apoyo a Empresas Sociales”? (National Fund for the Support of Social Enterprises). In 2000, he won the National Social Leadership Award, granted by Compartir.
Mr. Vargas speaks many languages, including a few indigenous dialects.
La Liga was established in 1999, and is an association of 22 CSOs from 20 spanish-speaking countries, that are dedicated to human, social and community development. It distributes over $20 million to various programs that benefit over 800 000 recipients.