Latin American Presidential Mission Seeks Closer Ties With CARICOM

WTCG Executive Director Wesley Kirton; CARICOM Deputy Secretary General Dr. Armstrong Alexis; Dr. Olinda Salguero Vice President Latin American & Caribbean Presidential Mission; and John Dickson, a director of the Presidential Mission,.

GEORGETOWN, Guyana – The Latin American Presidential Mission is a group of past leaders dedicated to enhancing regional unity, promoting transparent and efficient governance, and fostering sustainable and fair development. They have expressed a desire to strengthen connections with the Caribbean Community (CARICOM).

To achieve this goal, the Mission has changed its name to include the Caribbean. It has also welcomed former St. Lucia Prime Minister Dr. Kenny Anthony. This information was shared by the Mission’s Vice President, Dr. Olinda Salguero. She spoke during a recent visit to CARICOM Deputy Secretary General Dr. Amstrong Alexis at the CARICOM Secretariat. Dr. Salguero was in Guyana as the special guest of World Trade Centre Georgetown (WTCG) for its launch activities last month.

Latin American Presidential Mission Launch

The Latin American Presidential Mission was launched at the Global Peace Convention in Atlanta, in November 2012. It began with eight former presidents from Latin America. It has now grown to include some 20 former heads of state from 12 Latin American countries and now a former prime minister from the Caribbean.

During the courtesy call on the CARICOM deputy secretary general, facilitated by WTCG, the two organizations exchanged ideas on strategies for strengthening peace and enhancing development in the region. Attention was focused inter alia on efforts to enhance the role of women in society. This included expanding trade between Latin America and the Caribbean and the green economy.

The Mission was founded by the Global Peace Foundation in collaboration with the Paraguay Institute for Development of Thought, the Esquipulas Foundation of Guatemala and the Leadership Conference of Uruguay (LCU).

Project Details

The Latin American Presidential Mission hosts annual meetings and regional and international conferences. To date major conferences have been held in Paraguay, Uruguay, and Guatemala.

Former presidents joined human rights experts, educators and business leaders in forums. These forums addressed regional issues such as the independence of the judiciary and threats to democratic institutions in Latin America.

They also talked about development opportunities. This includes investing in science and the green economy. They discussed regional security and youth culture. These topics relate to the fight against drug trafficking.

Ms. Salguero was accompanied on the courtesy call by Mr. John Dickson, a member of the board of directors of the Mission, and Mr. Wesley Kirton, executive director (WTCG).

In 2022, Demerara Distillers Limited (DDL) received the WTCG license. Former Guatemala President Vinicio Cerezo congratulated DDL on this achievement. He called the license a key step in connecting Latin America and the Caribbean. Cerezo emphasized the importance of working together on many important issues.