#2021WCA: U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken
#2021WCA: U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken
“Need, not politics, will guide our decisions,” said the Secretary of State about U.S. efforts to ensure vaccines are distributed globally.
Speakers:
- Antony Blinken, U.S. Secretary of State
- Andrés Gluski, Chairman, Council of the Americas
The United States is “revitalizing our engagement with the world, leading with diplomacy,” said U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken in his remarks to the 51st Washington Conference on the Americas. He highlighted three policy priorities for the Biden administration in Latin America: ending the COVID-19 pandemic, delivering opportunities for those in the region, and reinvigorating support for democracy. In light of the upcoming twentieth anniversary of the signing of the Inter-American Democratic Charter, Blinken called on Latin American leaders to recommit themselves to accountability and democratic governance.
“No region of the world has borne a more crushing economic blow" from the pandemic, Blinken said of Latin America, before detailing how Washington plans to continue to support the region’s recovery from the pandemic. He highlighted the Biden administration’s funding of the COVAX facility, vaccine loans to Canada and Mexico, and provision of medical supplies. “Need, not politics, will guide our decisions,” he affirmed.
Blinken also laid out Washington's efforts to fight climate change, noting that the crisis provides opportunities for economic growth. “Investments we make now in green energy and resilience can create millions of good-paying jobs while also expanding energy access, which is crucial to development,” he said.
