WASHINGTON, USA – On Tuesday, Panama assumed the chair of the Inter-American Council for Integral Development (CIDI) of the Organization of American States (OAS) for the first semester of 2022, in a virtual ceremony.
The Permanent Representative of Panama to the OAS, María del Carmen Roquebert, said at the event that “the reality of the moment highlights the relevance of multilateralism, where we find a platform in which, through political and frank dialogues and with a collaborative and supportive spirit, we can support each other to ensure progress not only nationally, but also regionally. The OAS, being the only forum that brings together all the Americas, is the ideal setting for this task. Specifically, the purpose of CIDI is to promote cooperation in solidarity among the member states to support their integral development and, in particular, to contribute to the elimination of poverty.”
Audrey Marks, the Permanent Representative to the OAS of Jamaica, the country that held the outgoing chair, highlighted that “in 2021 Latin America and the Caribbean experienced the worst crisis in all its recorded history and the sharpest economic contraction in the developing world. We need to redouble our work and find solutions to this crisis. It is in this context that the work of the Inter-American Council is so critical.
Guatemala will serve as vice-chair of CIDI during this semester.