This announcement was made at a day-long forum of debate and reflection on ethics, the business model and the role of journalism on the net.

México D.F., May 14, 2014. Today, in Mexico City, the FNPI (Iberoamerican Foundation for New Journalism founded in Mexico by the Colombian author Gabriel Garcia Marquez) and Grupo SURA presented two projects in which they have worked in partnership, namely  the Gabriel Garcia Marquez Awards for Journalism and the Ethics and Sustainability program. This event was attended by directors, editors, journalists, academics and opinion leaders.

Pablo Sprenger, CEO of SURA in Mexico and Jaime Abello Banfi, the Director General of the FNPI were also present, underscoring the importance of these awards as a way to promote excellence, ethical consistency and innovation amongst both the media and the journalist community in Latin America.

Later on, Gumersindo Lafuente, a teacher at the FNPI, led a discussion on "Ethics as a business model" where he shared experiences showcasing values such as credibility, independence and transparency, which now more than ever are determining factors for the importance and sustainability of the media as a whole and journalism in particular.

The journalist Gabriela Warkentin, communicator and director of W Radio in Mexico gave a talk about the role of journalism and technology as well as the new challenges faced in bringing about true freedom of expression.

Afterwards, an open discussion was held in which participants were able to exchange ideas with Jaime, Gabriela and Gumersindo, as well as Martin Caparrós, member of the Advisory Council for the GGM Awards, and Alejandro Almazán, the winner of the GGM award in the "Text" category in 2013.

Pablo Sprenger, CEO of SURA in México, stressed the importance of taking part in this initiative, aimed at recognizing the talent and ethical commitment on the part of journalists, who play a key role in promoting freedom of expression and building a better informed society.

On the other hand, Jaime Abello Banfi, stated that these initiatives "show the extent of the commitment of both the FNPI and its partners to Gabriel Garcia Marquez´ legacy of excellence and ethical commitment and keeping it alive at the heart of Latin American journalism".

Details of the upcoming Gabriel García Marquez´s Awards for Journalism were also announced, for which contenders have until June 3 to register for the "Text" "Coverage" "Image" and "Innovation" categories.

About the Gabriel Garcia Marquez Awards for Journalism

The aim of these awards is to promote the search for excellence, innovation and ethical consistency, inspired in the ideals and work of Gabriel Garcia Marquez and in the spirit of innovation, creativity and leadership that characterizes the city of Medellin in Colombia.

These prizes, which are awarded by the FNPI, have been made possible thanks to the public-private partnership between the Medellin City Hall, Bancolombia and the Grupo SURA along with their subsidiaries in other parts of Latin America. This in addition to the permanent support that the FNPI receives from its institutional partner, the Ardila Lulle Organization. For more information, please click on the following link: www.fnpi.org/premioggm

About GRUPO SURA

Grupo de Inversiones Suramericana -GRUPO SURA- is a Latin American company listed on the Colombian Stock Exchange and registered with the ADR- Level 1 program in the United States. It is also the only Latin American company from the Diversified Financial Service Sector to be admitted to the Dow Jones Sustainability Index (DJSI), which tracks companies who have become global benchmarks thanks to the best practices they have adopted from the economic, environmental and social standpoints. GRUPO SURA has two fields of investment: its core strategic interests in the financial service, insurance, pension, savings and investment sectors; and its portfolio interests in the processed food, cement and energy sectors.

About SURA Asset Management

SURA Asset Management is a Latin American Company operating in the Pension, Savings and Investment sectors in Mexico, Peru, Chile, Colombia, Uruguay and El Salvador. Besides being a subsidiary of Grupo SURA, the Company has six co-investors each holding a minority stake, these being: the International Finance Corporation (IFC), member of the World Bank Group, Grupo Bolívar, Bancolombia, the International Equity Firm, General Atlantic, JP Morgan and the Wiese Group. At March 2014, SURA Asset Management held a total of USD 115.4 billion in assets under management belonging to 16.6 million clients.

About SURA in México

SURA México's portfolio of companies includes Afore SURA, Pensiones SURA, SURA Investment Management and Seguros de vida SURA. At March 2014, it recorded more than MXN 346 thousand million in assets under management, slightly more than 3,000 employees and more than 6 million clients.

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