The application of “militarily pacify” Haiti and the call for unity of the Ibero-American countries to achieve a “new financial architecture” that allows better conditions for the management of their debts, were the most transcendental points that remained as a result of the XXVIII Ibero-American Summit, held in the country, with the attendance of thirteen presidents, three vice presidents, a prime minister and the King of Spain, Felipe VI.
The Haitian issue was one of the most anticipated by the national and international press, due to the serious crisis in the neighboring country and the systematic appeals made by President Luis Abinader to the international community in the different international summits in which the country has participated since he took office.
The president of Costa Rica, Rodrigo Galves Robles, was the first to put the issue on the table, making a called on the United Nations (UN) to provide an immediate response to requests for that country to regain control and the existing violence is controlled, which was used by President Luis Abinader, as moderator of the summit, to say that “the only way to act with Haiti is to go and pacify Haiti.”
During the press conference to publicize the “Declaration of Santo Domingo”, the Action Program of the XXVIII Ibero-American Summit and the III Quadrennial Action Plan for Ibero-American Cooperation (PACCI) 2023-2026, and answering questions from journalists, President Abinader explained what his request to “pacify Haiti” implies ”.
The president said that during a visit to Washington (USA) the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) explained that since the 2010 earthquake it had available a US$1 billion donation and that it had not been made effective because there is no peace in that country.
Abinader assured that there is many Latin American countries that could participate in this pacificationif it is planned properly, and he immediately clarified that the Dominican Republic is not going to participate in an action to pacify Haiti militarily, for obvious reasons, however, he assured that the international community led by the United States, Canada and France must assume the leadership of this action.
During the Summit plenary, The President of Spain, Pedro Sánchez, also addressed the issue, assuming the commitment to escalate it in the international community from the Council of the European Union.
The president of Colombia, Gustavo Petro, acknowledging the co-responsibility that his country had in the assassination of the president of Haiti, Jovenel Moïse, and the help of this country to its independence process, expressed his interest in participating in the solution of the Haitian crisis.
Food safety
Another topic mentioned with emphasis in this summit was food security and a “Critical Path to achieve an Inclusive and Sustainable Food Security in Ibero-America”, which proposes actions to face the great impact of the current crises on agri-food systems to prevent hunger in the region from intensifying and guarantee the right to adequate food for all people.
According to the “Declaration of Santo Domingo”, this strategy seeks that Ibero-American countries work together to strengthen open, free and non-discriminatory tradeor, developing inclusive and resilient agri-food supply chains and consolidating family farming, among other measures.
In this successful conclave, in which the country obtained outstanding marks for its work as host, the “Ibero-American Charter of Principles and Rights in Digital Environments”, the “Ibero-American Environmental Charter”, and the commitment to mainstream gender equality and equity.
Points of conflict between countries.
In his speech, the President of Chile, Gabriel Boric, described the government of the President of Nicaragua, Daniel Ortega, as a ‘dictatorship’; and his vice president and wife, Rosario Murillo. This motivated the reaction of Foreign Minister Denis Moncada, who demanded that the President of Chile respect the people and the Government of Nicaragua.
next summit.
Ecuador will be the host country for the next summit, on November 29, 2024, for which it assumed the pro tempore presidency of the Ibero-American Conference.