By Merle David Kellerhals Jr.
WASHINGTON — One of the central issues confronting the 34 leaders of the Western Hemisphere is that the economic gains so hard won over the past six years are being threatened by the downturn in the global economy, says the White House adviser for the April 17–19 Summit of the Americas.
“Keep in mind that this hemisphere, over the past six years, has done economically very well,” Ambassador Jeffrey Davidow said. The per-capita growth in gross domestic product for just a four-year period, from 2003 to 2007, was more than 3 percent a year, he said. “That is higher than the hemisphere has seen in decades. The number of people living in poverty in the hemisphere in recent years has declined — declined absolutely in numbers.”
The fifth Summit of the Americas is being held in Port of Spain, the capital of Trinidad and Tobago, April 17–19. At an April 6 State Department briefing, Davidow said President Obama will attend the summit and will travel first to Mexico April 15–16 before flying to Port of Spain.
Davidow said those countries that, over the past few years, have adopted prudent economic management will be less hard-hit than others. Davidow cited a United Nations analysis that found Latin America and the Caribbean will experience negative growth in 2009 gross domestic product of minus 0.3 percent after six years of continuous growth.
“This is of concern because the benefits that have come to these societies in recent years are in jeopardy,” Davidow said.
President Obama, left, met with Brazilian President Lula in Washington March 14.
Obama, making his first venture into Latin America after a recent trip to Europe, will attend the meeting to listen, discuss and consult with other hemispheric leaders as partners, Davidow said. One of the central concerns of the president and Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton, Davidow said, is equality.
“We know that there has been progress … in this hemisphere on gross domestic product increase and reduction of poverty, particularly abject poverty. But the fact remains that Latin America, according to the United Nations, is the least equal of all the areas of the world. The level of inequity … is very high, higher than anywhere else,” he said.
In addition to discussing economic issues, the United States will also want to talk about an environmental agenda that focuses on clean energy, Davidow said. The United States and Brazil are already working in several Central American countries to help those countries develop biofuels systems.
“We know that other countries are interested in working with us and with third countries on issues relating to energy conservation, renewable energy and other topics which form part of a green energy initiative … which are related … to our concerns about the environment and global warming,” Davidow said.
Public safety is expected to receive a lot of attention during the summit because of the recent rise in criminal activity throughout Latin America and the Caribbean, he said. Nations in the region are having difficulty controlling criminal activity because judicial and police systems need training and equipment, he said.
Davidow said during a question period that it is the hope of the Obama administration to have good diplomatic relations with all the countries of the hemisphere. There will be bilateral meetings on the president’s agenda, he said, but he did not provide specific details.
