The V Summit of the Americas: A Renewal of Engagement

The fifth and latest Summit of the Americas ended without a declaration signed by all the heads of government who attended the meeting in Port of Spain. This is symptomatic of the lack of consensus among the leaders who were divided over Cuba and the global financial crisis. The ALBA countries of Venezuela, Bolivia, Ecuador and Dominica felt sufficiently strongly that they declined to be parties to a common accord. Despite the missing signatures on the declaration, the April 18-19 summit was a useful opportunity for the leaders of 34 countries (Cuba was not a participant) to exchange views. This dialogue was timely in the throes of an unprecedented and possibly worsening global economic crisis and with a new U.S. administration that has yet to define its policy towards Latin America and the Caribbean. 

President Obama extended the hand of friendship to all, following steps taken prior to the summit to ease travel restrictions and remittances to Cuba. He signaled his willingness to engage unencumbered by past differences and on the basis of “mutual respect and common interests.” Such a disposition augers well for sustained engagement in a hemisphere in which many long-standing friends felt marginalized by preoccupations unrelated to the issues critical to them. In this convivial atmosphere there was an exchange of views, which, if built upon, has the potential to renew a spirit of community in the Americas. This has to be the foundation in which commonality of history and goals will coexist with ideological and cultural diversity

The follow-up to the previous four summits has been disappointing because there have been too many goals and too few firm commitments of resources for implementation. The responsibility for follow-up is spread across a variety of national and hemispheric institutions. This summit has the additional problem of an ambiguous mandate. What is important is to capitalize on the goodwill and personal interactions to deepen and sustain a hemisphere-wide dialogue. This must complement the bilateral exchanges and sub-regional groupings, which in some cases deprive the hemisphere of the cohesion necessary for concerted action on a common agenda.

Hemispheric-wide cooperation is an urgent necessity to be tackled with pragmatism. There are critically important problems that can only be addressed by involving all countries, including Cuba. The list of such issues includes: transnational drug trafficking, money laundering, sustainable development in the midst of climate change, global economic recovery, illegal migrants, natural disasters, pandemic diseases and affordable, environmentally benign energy.

The spirit of community in the Americas is best realized by common projects which are vital and urgent to all. In the current context of global economic crisis, the priority must be to prevent furthering economic erosion and stimulate economic growth before economic difficulties undercut democracy, peaceful coexistence and social tolerance. 

The institutions and forums to facilitate discussion and tangible policy action already exist, but need the primacy of their mission to be reestablished. This needs to be linked inextricably to the capacity to execute their respective missions. Hemispheric institutions must be enabled by regular high-level political participation, specifically by the Organization of American States, and from increased resources, specifically from the Inter-American Development Bank. 

This is not a time for complacency but a time for action because the hemisphere is confronting escalating problems which can undermine the foundations of the democracy and economic development which we all aspire to for ourselves and our neighbors. Poverty and the associated material deprivation and social exclusion could aggravate relations through trans-border crime, violence, corruption and human trafficking. No country is immune because there can be no oases of prosperity in a sea of poverty. 

Bernal is alternate executive director of the Inter-American Development Bank.