#2023WCA: Luis Almagro and Juan Guaidó on Democracy in the Region
#2023WCA: Luis Almagro and Juan Guaidó on Democracy in the Region
The OAS' secretary general and Venezuela's former interim president speak at Washington Conference on the Americas.
Speakers
- Luis Almagro, Secretary General, Organization of American States
- Juan Guaidó, Former interim president, Venezuela
- Andres Gluski, Chairman, Council of the Americas
"We need more dialogue in the hemisphere; we need a more integrated hemisphere," said the OAS Secretary General Luis Almagro in the OAS' own headquarters for the 53rd Annual Washington Conference on the Americas. "We need a hemisphere that can bring people together, that can share the wealth of the continent."
"It is clear that we are not doing enough to share our well, to share our intelligence, to share our resources," he said, in remarks during which he highlighted Cuba, Nicaragua, and Venezuela as regional dictatorships and cautioned against the discrimination and violence harming the Americas. "We need a hemisphere that can bring people together, that can share the wealth of the continent."
He introduced special guest Juan Guaidó, Venezuela's former interim president who was recently expelled from Colombia after trying to join talks related to his country's political crisis. “We stand for poor people, we stand for migrants, we stand for democracy,” Guaidó said. "To put an end to migration, we need progress. To achieve progress, we need democracy; we need respect for human rights."
