Atlantic Council’s Adrienne Arsht Latin America Center partners with US Department of State to launch campaign for renewed hemispheric cooperation alongside the ninth Summit of the Americas

Washington DC – November 11, 2021 – Ahead of the United States hosting the ninth Summit of the Americas in mid-2022, the Atlantic Council’s Adrienne Arsht Latin America Center (AALAC) announced a new partnership today with the US Department of State (DOS) to advance innovative solutions addressing the hemisphere’s top challenges. The new effort comes at a time in which citizens across the Americas are confronting the triple threat of the COVID-19 pandemic, climate change, and economic setbacks.

With the State Department partnership, AALAC will convene regional public sector, business, civil society, and multilateral leaders to identify opportunities for renewed regional cooperation as part of the Summit process and beyond.

“The United States places great emphasis on the fact that the Summit of the Americas is intended to be a process, not just an event. The value of the Summit of the Americas is that it brings our leaders and other stakeholders together to commit to take action on the most pressing issues facing our hemisphere. But if those commitments are just words, without action, then the value of the Summit process is diminished,” said Kevin O’Reilly, Deputy Assistant Secretary and US National Summit of the Americas Coordinator.

The United States places great emphasis on the fact that the Summit of the Americas is intended to be a process, not just an event. The value of the Summit of the Americas is that it brings our leaders and other stakeholders together to commit to take action on the most pressing issues facing our hemisphere. But if those commitments are just words, without action, then the value of the Summit process is diminished,

Kevin O’Reilly, Deputy Assistant Secretary and US National Summit of the Americas Coordinator

Throughout the coming months, AALAC and DOS will prioritize the inclusion of all countries from across the Americas including Caribbean nations that have historically been under-represented as part of the Summit planning process. AALAC’s Caribbean Initiative is uniquely poised to draw on regional perspectives, putting smaller and larger states in the same virtual room to rethink the hemisphere’s future.

Additionally, AALAC is launching a hemispheric campaign to inform the Summit process – with a focus on improving regional coordination, response, and resilience to pandemics and disasters; advancing equitable and green economic growth; safeguarding democracy and human rights; and accelerating innovation and digitalization to grow the middle class. “Next Year’s Summit of the Americas comes as the region is in a moment of reconfiguration. The continued COVID-19 pandemic and climate change are having a disproportionate effect on vulnerable populations. Traditional political structures and economic models are being questioned. And social unrest is likely to spike, yet again. This important partnership can bring the Americas together to advance real solutions for citizens’ growing concerns,” said Jason Marczak, Director of the Atlantic Council’s Adrienne Arsht Latin America Center.

Next Year’s Summit of the Americas comes as the region is in a moment of reconfiguration. The continued COVID-19 pandemic and climate change are having a disproportionate effect on vulnerable populations. Traditional political structures and economic models are being questioned. And social unrest is likely to spike, yet again. This important partnership can bring the Americas together to advance real solutions for citizens’ growing concerns.

Jason Marczak, Director of the Atlantic Council’s Adrienne Arsht Latin America Center

Today marks the official launch of AALAC’s #RoadToTheSummit and #CaminoALaCumbre campaign – a global initiative that complements the partnership with DOS and includes: a series of strategic conversations with Latin America and Caribbean governments, private sector, civil society organizations, and multilateral organizations; creating public awareness about the Summit’s importance and key issue areas in countries across the Americas; and new publications to inform public perception and private discussions in the lead-up to the Summit.

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