UNGA Week at AS/COA

In conjunction with the opening debate of the 70th UN General Assembly, Americas Society and Council of the Americas hosted prominent leaders from across the continent at its New York headquarters. In both private and public events, the organizations hosted the following speakers:

• President of Chile Michelle Bachelet
• President of Colombia Juan Manuel Santos
• President of Costa Rica Luis Guillermo Solís
• President of Honduras Juan Orlando Hernández
• President of Uruguay Tabaré Vázquez
• Foreign Trade and Investment Minister of Cuba Rodrigo Malmierca Díaz
• Director of U.S. Affairs at Cuba’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs Josefina Vidal

Highlights included a private meeting on September 25 with President Bachelet, who discussed the pace of reforms her government is in the process of implementing. On the same day, Minister Malmierca spoke before members and guests of the AS/COA Cuba Working Group. Business executives in attendance were eager to discuss investment opportunities presented by the U.S.-Cuba rapprochement. On September 28, President Vázquez delivered remarks before a select private-sector group. Americas Quarterly, AS/COA’s flagship publication, recognized his country for ranking first in the 2015 Social Inclusion Index.

In a public event at the Plaza Hotel on September 30, CNBC Chief International Correspondent Michelle Caruso-Cabrera interviewed President Santos, who described progress in peace talks to end the country’s decades-old conflict. “Colombia already is good for investment—can you imagine what we can do without the cost of the war?” he said.

“Americas Society/Council of the Americas was honored to host so many of the region’s heads of state and top-level officials over the week,” said AS/COA President and CEO Susan Segal. “As always, these dynamic meetings, which convened our members and other private sector decision-makers, created a space for dialogue on critical hemispheric issues.”

In addition to the above events, Council of the Americas hosted a September 30 event in Washington with IMF Managing Director Christine Lagarde, who gave a preview of critical issues facing the global economy ahead of next week’s Annual Meetings of the Boards of Governors of the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund in Lima. “The not-so-good news is that emerging economies are likely to see their fifth consecutive year of declining rates of growth,” said Lagarde.

Then, on October 1 in New York City, wife of imprisoned Venezuelan opposition leader Leopoldo López and human rights activist Lillian Tintori, spoke of her husband’s recent trial and the political environment ahead of Venezuela’s December 6 legislative elections. "The day [when Leopoldo comes home] will come, not just for our house, but for all of Venezuela," said Tintori.

• Get highlights on what Latin American heads of state had to say at the opening debate of the 70th General Assembly with an AS/COA Online guide.