Ireland sends important message of support for reparative justice with €300,000 contribution to Trust Fund for Victims
Reaffirming its support for reparative justice and the related mandates of the Trust Fund for Victims (TFV) at the International Criminal Court (ICC), the Government of Ireland has pledged a voluntary contribution of €300,000 to the TFV this year. This marks a significant increase in its annual contribution, which amounted to €200,000 in 2020, and demonstrates Ireland’s strong support for the TFV and its critical work in support of the reparative justice function of the Rome Statute.
The voluntary contribution will be equally divided, with €150,000 assigned to the reparations mandate and €150,000 to the assistance mandate.
H.E. Mr. Kevin Kelly, Ambassador of Ireland .
Speaking on Ireland’s support for the TFV and the Rome Statute, H.E. Mr Kevin Kelly, Ambassador of Ireland to the Kingdom of the Netherlands said “With this contribution Ireland wishes to signal its commitment to international criminal justice and to ensuring victims of the worst crimes are seen, heard and delivered the justice they deserve. This increased contribution from Ireland is also an expression of our confidence in the TFV to fulfil its critically important mandate of making reparative justice a reality and giving dignity and hope to victims of crimes under the ICC’s jurisdiction”.
Baroness Arminka Helić, the TFV Board member representing the Western European and other States Parties, welcomed the contribution saying “On behalf of the Board of Directors of the TFV I extend my warmest thanks to Ambassador Kelly and the Government of Ireland for this increased contribution and the message it sends. Ireland has been a tireless supporter of the TFV and its mission and has truly engaged with our work at every level to ensure we can deliver on our mandate. Ireland has shown itself to be a staunch supporter of the fight against impunity and for this the TFV Board of Directors is very grateful”.
TFV Executive Director Pieter de Baan thanked the Irish Government saying “The steadily increasing value of Ireland’s contributions to the TFV signals strong political support, as well as an apt recognition of the increasing portfolio of the TFV, across reparations cases and situation countries. Ireland’s designation recognises the importance of both judicial reparations and assistance activities in responding to the gravity of harm suffered by victims of Rome Statute crimes”.
ICC Prosecutor Fatou Bensouda, ICC President Judge Piotr Hofmański, H.E. Kevin Kelly, Ambassador of Ireland to The Netherlands and ICC Registrar Peter Lewis with the artwork donated to the ICC by the Government of Ireland
On 18 March 2021, H.E. Ambassador Kevin Kelly and ICC President Judge Piotr Hofmański unveiled a new artwork donated by Ireland to the International Criminal Court (ICC), symbolising Ireland’s support for the Rome Statute, its commitment to ending impunity and its clear understanding that justice is a prerequisite for lasting peace, stability and equitable development.
Wednesday, 12 May 2021, Stuttgart, Baden-Württemberg, Germany: Baden-Württemberg’s State Diet has re-elected Winfried Kretschmann in the capacity of premier (Ministerpräsident) and confirmed the state government he formed. The coalition agreement between Alliance 90/The Greens and the CDU forms the basis of the government’s work from 2021 to 2026.
This is Kretschmann’s third term at the reins of the Southwestern German state with capital in Stuttgart. He was first elected in 2011, and remains hugely popular.
Cabinet members are:
Deputy Premier and Minister of the Interior, for Digitisation and Local Authorities: Thomas Strobl. Minister of Finance: Dr. Danyal Bayaz. Minister for Culture, Youth and Sport: Theresa Schopper. Minister for Science, Research and the Arts: Theresia Bauer. Minister for the Environment, Climate and Energy: Thekla Walker. Minister for Economic Affairs, Labour and Tourism: Dr. Nicole Hoffmeister-Kraut. Minister for Social Affairs, Health and Integration: Manne Lucha. Minister of Justice and Migration: Marion Gentges. Minister for Transport: Winfried Hermann. Minister for Food, Rural Areas and Consumer Protection: Peter Hauk. Minister for Regional Development and Housing: Nicole Razavi.
In Berlin, State Secretary and Plenipotentiary of the Land to the German Federation, Federal Policy Coordination is Rudolf Hoogvliet.
In Brussels, State Secretary at the Ministry of State and Representative of the State of Baden-Württemberg to the European Union: Florian Hassler.
On Thursday 29 April from 15:00 to 16:30 IHE Delft Institute for Water Education and Diplomat Magazine organized an Ambassadors’ Briefing on International Knowledge Sharing for Development. The theme of this meeting was to tackle water related challenges affecting a large number of countries in the world by developing capacity and sharing knowledge on the topic.
Firstly, Dr. Mayelinne de Lara, publisher at Diplomat Magazine, welcomed the ambassadors. Then, Professor Eddy Moors, Rector of IHE Delft, introduced the institution and its capacity development programs to address water challenges. IHE Delft has been providing practical education and training to water professionals for more than 60 years and is the most international Dutch University in terms of both the staff and students.
Professor Moors and Mr. Johan Aad van Dijk, Business Director of IHE Delft, highlighted the need for water expertise in a world increasingly threatened by risks of resource depletion exacerbated by climate change. By 2050, many regions will evolve from a situation of no water scarcity or water scarcity to severe water scarcity, which will have severe negative consequences, namely water quality, and on food systems.
They highlighted the fact that water is crucial and is at the heart of almost every Sustainable Development Goals (SDG); for instance SDG 2 (zero hunger), SDG 3 (good health and well being), SDG 6 (clean water and sanitation) but also SDGs 14 and 15 (life below water and life on land). Improving capacity development in people and in institutions is an accelerator of sustainable development and it was the aim of this meeting.
To reach this goal there are two possibilities; the first one is to help countries to identify water and sanitation capacity gaps and to enhance it and the second one is to implement development plans for example by providing training and institutional strengthening. IHE Delft has a crucial role in developing water capacity by providing an alternative and efficient approach to the matter.
Professor Moors and Mr. Aad van Dijk, said that countries can get involved easily by providing a capacity gap assessment of individuals and organisations, selecting training programs for individuals and analysing how to improve institutional capacity. In the Netherlands many governmental institutions have expertise in the water sector and are open for collaboration, for instance the Ministry of Education, Culture and Science and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Furthermore, Professor Moors, also expressed the urgency of water related crises as not only some of the most likely natural disasters which will take place in the future, but as some of the most impactful as well. With alumni all over the world and partnerships with numerous United Nations institutions, the IHE Delft has an important and active role to play in the crisis management which is all too important going forward in not only in disaster relief and management, but also in preemptive action in order to mitigate the future of water shortages.
After the presentation, the floor was opened to discussion with many ambassadors and national representatives making remarks or asking questions. There was great interest from many ambassadors including H.E. Mr. Giorgio Novello, Ambassador of Italy and H.E. Mr. Fernando Grillo, Ambassador of Colombia, as well as others, in organizing greater coordination amongst their respective national graduates of the IHE Delft for the purposes of building a stronger working relationship with the institution, expressing great pride in these individuals so widely spread across the globe.
Other ambassadors mentioned their nations’ own unique national challenges and brought up other circumstances that may complicate any of the many water related challenges being faced today and in the near future. The Ambassador of Egypt, H.E. Mr. Hatem Elsayed Mohamed Kamaleldin discussed some of the challenges relating to water diplomacy and the challenges of fairly sharing global resources, mentioning the example of the Ethiopian Grand Renaissance dam and the contentious diplomacy surrounding the project.
In addition, comments were made by the Ambassador of Uruguay, H.E. Ms. Laura Dupuy Lasserre, Ambassador of Panama, H.E. Ms. Elizabeth Ward Neiman, Ambassador of Morocco, H.E. Mr. Abdelouahab Bellouki, Ambassador of Trinidad and Tobago H.E. Mr. Colin Connelly, Ambassador of Costa Rica H.E. Mr. Arnolodo Brenes Castro, Ambassador of Burundi H.E. Mr. Gamaliel Nkurunziza, Ambassador of Azerbaijan H.E. Mr. Fikrat Akhundov, Ambassador of Malta H.E. Mr. Mark Anthony Pace, Ambassador of South Africa H.E. Mr. Vusi Madonsela, Mr. Aizaz Khan Counsellor of the Embassy of Pakistan, Ms. Byonabye Mwesigwa of the Embassy of Uganda, Ms. Ghallia Benziouche Counsellor of the Embassy of Algeria, and Mr. Jose Vieira Counsellor of the Embassy of Brazil.
Almost every country in the world is already or will soon be facing challenges of water scarcity and quality making the work of IHE Delft all the more important. The University already collaborates with many national institutions across the globe, with projects in South Africa and Cuba being among those mentioned during the event, but many more as well and is always interested in expanding their portfolio of partnerships for a changing world.
At the conclusion of the event, many ambassadors requested direct meetings with Rector Moors in order to facilitate opening greater dialogues between their national institutions and the IHE Delft in hopes of spawning further collaboration between the University and its many partners. These were met with enthusiasm, and the embassies in attendance were encouraged to make contact and organize bilateral meetings for mutual benefit.
H.E. Ambassador Luis Vassy, Permanent Representative of the French Republic to the OPCW, and H.E. Mr Fernando Arias, OPCW Director-General.
France provides further support to the work of the OPCW’s special missions and contingency operations in the Syrian Arab Republic
THE HAGUE, Netherlands – 10 May 2021 – The Government of France is contributing €1M toward supporting the activities of the Trust Fund for Syria Missions at the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW).
The Fund supports the Organisation’s special missions and contingency operations related specifically to the Syrian Arab Republic. France’s new contribution aims to assist in full elimination of the Syrian Chemical Weapons Programme and clarification of facts related to the alleged use of chemical weapons, in accordance with the Chemical Weapons Convention and relevant decisions of the policy-making organs of the OPCW. The contribution will support the work of the Declaration Assessment Team (DAT) and the Fact-Finding Mission (FFM).
The voluntary contribution was formalised on 7 May by the Permanent Representative of the French Republic to the OPCW, H.E. Ambassador Luis Vassy, and OPCW Director-General, H.E. Mr Fernando Arias, at the Organisation’s headquarters in The Hague.
Ambassador Vassy remarked: “I am really pleased to make this year a further significant contribution to the activities of the OPCW in Syria in order to enable its mechanisms to pursue independently their investigations. It is in line with France’s steadfast determination to put an end to the threat of chemical weapons in Syria, which is fundamentally unacceptable – as the Conference of State Parties recently reaffirmed in adopting the decision tabled by my delegation on behalf of 46 countries.”
The Director-General expressed his gratitude to the Government of France and noted: “This contribution will help the OPCW to continue its vital work in Syria where both the DAT and FFM face a host of issues that require a coordinated international response to ensure that the norms and principles of the Chemical Weapons Convention are upheld.”
In the picture H.E. Dr. Hisham Al Alawi, Ambassador of Iraq.
By Tereza Neuwirthová
On May 6th, the Embassy of Iraq in The Hague organised a special ceremony for the return of seven archaeological objects from a Dutch private collector to the Iraqi government.
During this ceremony, the artefacts were handed over by H.E. Mr Arjen Uijterlinde, Ambassador for International Cultural Cooperation of the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and Barbara Siregar, Director of the Information and Heritage Inspectorate to the Iraqi ambassador, H.E. Dr. Hisham Al Alawi.
H.E. Mr Arjen Uijterlinde, Ambassador for International Cultural Cooperation of the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
All of the objects are expressions of Mesopotamian culture, and are of great value given that the region Mesopotamia was recognised as the cradle of modern civilisation.
The cultural remnants include foundation cones, or large clay tablets that used to be placed in the walls of buildings or buried in the foundations of temples, as well as two very rare figurines. One is a representation of a ram and was used as an amulet, a stamp or a seal, and the second is a figure of Halaf –the mother goddess– that was used in sacrifice rituals.
Restored Iraqi art.
The items appeared in an auction house, where they were offered by a Dutch private collector. Following an inquiry, The Information and Heritage Inspectorate, jointly with an expert from the Dutch National Museum of Antiquities led an investigation that confirmed that the objects came from Iraq.
The private collector gave up the items as he was not aware of their exact origin, and is now glad to see their return to Iraq.
Returned objet to Iraq
A safe restoration to the country is essential, since all of the returned objects are protected under Iraqi cultural heritage legislation, as well as listed on the International Council of Museums’ red lists.
These lists include objects that are vulnerable to theft, plundering and illegal export from their countries of origin. In the Iraqi case, the ban on trade in its heritage prohibits selling the objects of archaeological, historical, cultural, rare scientific and religious importance that were designated as protected.
Ceremony for the return of seven archaeological objects from a Dutch private collector to the Iraqi government.
Similarly, in line with the UN Security Council resolution establishing a system of sanctions to protect Iraq’s cultural heritage, these objects are protected under the Iraq Sanctions Order 2004 II. This system has been implemented in European law, and therefore the Iraqi government requested the Dutch government to return the artefacts of high historical and cultural significance.
Barbara Siregar, Director of the Information and Heritage Inspectorate.
This return, which took place during the ceremony held at the Iraqi embassy in The Hague, was authorised with a transfer document that was signed by the Ambassador HE Al-Alawi and Mr. Uijterlinde.
Signing the documents to transfer the object to the Iraqi authorities.
On April 17th, the Embassy of the Republic of Rwanda in the Kingdom of the Netherlands hosted a virtual conference with the theme ’27 Years After the Genocide Against the Tutsi: How Can We End Genocide Denial?’ The event was part of the 27th commemoration of the genocide perpetrated against the Tutsi in Rwanda, known as ‘Kwibuka27’.
The online conference attempted to answer critical questions relating to the topic of genocide denial namely, it’s definition and its various forms, how it is understood in the context of international rights and freedoms, ways of effectively preventing genocide denial for present and future generations and the role can accountability for the crime of genocide itself play the fight against genocide denial and finally given the steady rise of genocide denial in the world and the fact that Rwanda and few other countries have adopted laws to criminalize the denial of the genocide against the Tutsi, should other countries adopt similar legislations?
The moderator of the conference was Ms. Diana Mpyisi, Founder and Managing Director of Blue Oceans, a media and communications consultancy firm and host of The Square, a weekly current affairs English show on Rwanda Television.
Ms. Diana Mpyisi.
In his welcoming remarks the host of the conference, H.E. Mr. Olivier J.P. Nduhungirehe, Ambassador of the Republic of Rwanda to the Kingdom of the Netherlands, re-iterated that after 27 years after the 1994 genocide against the Tutsi, there is still a need to better understand the concept of genocide denial.
“We have indeed been witnessing a resurgence of genocide denial under many forms. Denial is no longer limited to genocide fugitives’ circles, it also received support in a number of countries from scholars, regional experts, criminal lawyers and journalists. Let me hope that today’s discussion will be enriching for all of us, especially for the young generation and the diplomatic community gathered here with us,” Ambassador Nduhungirehe said.
The welcoming remarks were followed by remarks by Mr. Serge Brammertz, Chief Prosecutor at the International Residual Mechanism for Criminal Tribunals (IRMCT) who highlighted the importance of combined effort to fight against genocide denial. “For example, in my last report to the United Nations Security Council, I denounced the lack of cooperation being provided by a number of countries. Public pressure on these countries is important to improve the situation and ensure fugitives are brought to justice,” Mr Brammertz said.
This theme raises a number of critical questions on how to face the challenge of Genocide denial and ideology that has been increasing over the past years in many countries globally. To try to tackle this issue the conference bought together 3 experts to give the audience a comprehensive view of the concept of genocide denial and how to effectively handle it.
The first expert was Dr Roland Moerland, an Assistant Professor of Criminology at the Maastricht University and a member of the International Association of Genocide Scholars and is an editor on the editorial board of Genocide Studies and Prevention: An International Journal. Furthermore He is the author of “The Killing of Death, Denying the genocide against the Tutsi”. Professor Moerland addressed and provided insight on the “Concept of Genocide Denial”, its intentions and the various forms it takes.
Freddy Mutanguha.
The second expert who shared his views was Mr. Freddy Mutanguha, who is the Executive Director of AegisTrust and Director of the Kigali Genocide Memorial who talked about “Commemoration, education and public engagement: tools for the prevention of genocide denial and pillars for unity and reconciliation”.
Providence Umurungi.
The third expert was Ms. Providence Umurungi, who is a Principal State Attorney at the Ministry of Justice of Rwanda, where she is the Head of International Justice and Judicial Cooperation Department since 2016. Prior to her current position, Ms. Umurungi was the Associate Legal Officer at the UN International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda in Arusha, Tanzania; and an Assistant Lecturer at the Law Faculty at the University of Rwanda where she taught Human Rights and International Humanitarian Law courses. She took the audience through the topic “The importance of accountability for genocide and its denial”.
Following the presentations of the panelists, the conference was opened for an interactive session where members of the audience who included members of the Rwandan community in the Netherlands and members of the diplomatic were given the opportunity to ask questions and share their thoughts with Ambassador Nduhungirehe, Mr. Serge Brammertz and the 3 experts.
More information, including the statements by the speakers and the link to watch the entire conference at a later stage, please go to the following page on the Embassy’s website:
US Chargée d’affaires Robin S. Quinville. Picture by Land NRW.
Friday, 7 May 2021, Berlin Germany: North Rhine Westphalia’s Minister for European and International Affairs, Dr. Stephan Holthoff-Pförtner welcomed the US Chargée d’affaires Robin S. Quinville to sign the guestbook of NRW state government, and exchange views on the intensive partnership and transatlantic cooperation between Germany, NRW and the United States of America.
This was the very first visit to the NRW representation by a US top diplomatic envoy since the change of administration in the USA, albeit Minister Dr. Holthoff-Pförtner did hold a virtual meeting with US Consul General Fiona Evans back in January 2021.
USA-NRW ties
The USA are represented in NRW by Consul General in Düsseldorf, Fiona Evans.
The USA is one of North Rhine-Westphalia’s most important foreign trade partners. At the same time, US companies are amongst the largest investors and foreign employers in North Rhine-Westphalia. North Rhine-Westphalia is home to more than 1,600 US companies. In 2017, they invested a total of around 13 billion euros. German cities and municipalities are partnered with a total of 32 US cities and municipalities.
According to statistics by NRW about 13,500 US Americans live in the federal state. Between NRW and the USA there are 35 state partnership between cities. Beyond the latter there are 104 school partnerships, 327 signed cooperation agreements between NRW and US American universities and colleges that intensify the transatlantic exchanges.
The number of school and university cooperations between North Rhine-Westphalia and the USA has increased since 2016. In total, there are 122 school partnerships (2016: 99) and 288 cooperations between universities and colleges (2016: 220).
The United Nations defined the culture of peace as a ways and behavior of life that are needed for a peaceful world. French Culture has played a good relations between societies and creates mutual interest, cooperation, and friendship in shaping world arts and cultures.
According to SDG 4.7 which has targeted the education to promote a culture of peace and non-violence by 2030; Shahin Gavanji and Jahangir Gavanji have launched the international program in 2017 which is called “French Culture, Culture of Peace and Humanity (FCCPH)” to share the French culture between societies. More than 10000 people participated inthiseducationalprogram from 3 countries of Iran (Isfahan, Tehran) , Pakistan (Islamabad, Lahore), and Afghanistan (Kabul).
In this program they teach the French culture which includes (French etiquette, peace symbol in France, and French values), to build bonds and interests between different cultures to make the world of friendship, since they believe that culture represents the beliefs of each societies and make a significant contribution to promote peace and friendship.
In this campaign they use the different ways to share the French culture like, brochure and street meeting since they believe that the great way to foster the values of friendship is the cultural education in all societies across the world.
In these campaign the French Traditions and Culture were put in a brochure and presented to all people who participated in this program, in the main parks and streets of each. In this campaign more than 10000 brochure were delivered. The content of brochures include the: Language, Religion in France, French Values, French Fashion, French Art and media, Greetings, Public Behavior, also they talked about the symbol of peace and friendship in France like the Eiffel Tower, I love you wall and other places which make a significant contribution for the promotion of a culture of peace between societies
The goals of this campaign:
The main goal of this is to introduce the French etiquette and social norms to help people in different countries to know about the life and culture of France
Raising awareness about the outstanding cultural and natural heritage of France to establish good relationships with French culture with the others in different countries. Building a bridge between the French culture with other societies and send a message of peace and friendship.
Left to right: H.E. Mr Fazal Ahmad Manawi Minister of Justice of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, Mrs Fatou Bensouda, Prosecutor of the ICC, and H.E. Mr Mohammad Haneef Atmar, Minister of Foreign Affairs at the Seat of the Court in The Hague, The Netherlands.
The Office of the Prosecutor and high-level delegation from the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan hold productive meetings at the Seat of the Court.
On Friday, 7 May 2021, the Prosecutor of the International criminal Court, Mrs Fatou Bensouda and her team met a high-level delegation from the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan at the Seat of the Court led by H.E. Mohammad Haneef Atmar, Minister of Foreign Affairs.
The full day of productive discussions with the representatives of Afghanistan included the participation of officials from, inter alia, the Ministries of Foreign Affairs and Justice, the Attorney General’s Office, the Supreme Court and the National Security Department. The meeting was organised in the context of the Government of Afghanistan’s March 2020 request for the Office to defer its investigation pursuant to article 18(2) of the Rome Statute. At the meeting, detailed presentations provided further insights into investigative steps taken or planned by the national authorities in Afghanistan and an opportunity for the Office to seek clarifications on a number of discussion points.
In stressing the importance of a victims-centred approach, Prosecutor Bensouda and H.E. Minister Atmar on behalf of the Government of Afghanistan pledged to work together to achieve justice for the Afghan people by holding perpetrators of atrocity crimes accountable.
“I have great admiration for the courage and resilience of the people of Afghanistan who have withstood tremendous adversity through decades of conflict and violence. They deserve tangible justice without delay”, stated Prosecutor Bensouda. “I look forward to continuing our constructive exchanges with the Government of Afghanistan, which was exemplified by today’s discussions, as we work towards determining how justice may best be served through joint collaborative efforts with full commitment to our respective independent duties and responsibilities under the Rome Statute”, added the Prosecutor.
H.E. Minister Atmar thanked Prosecutor Bensouda for her commitment stating that ”this was a historic and very constructive meeting. The Government of Afghanistan is grateful to the ICC Prosecutor for hosting our high-level delegation to address the investigation and prosecution of all international crimes in Afghanistan” adding that “at this decisive moment for our country’s future, we have made encouraging progress in charting the way forward to ensure that no crimes will go unpunished. With our government’s unwavering commitment to human rights and justice, we are confident that with full cooperation with the Prosecutor, we can jointly advance the cause of justice for all of the victims of the long and devastating conflict.”
Mrs Fatou Bensouda, Prosecutor of the ICC and H.E. Mr Zabihullah Karimullah, Attorney General of Afghanistan
H.E. Mr Zabihullah Karimullah, the Attorney General of Afghanistan who also participated at the meeting added: “Our meeting with the ICC Prosecutor was very useful for discussing the constructive ways in which we can cooperate with the Office of the Prosecutor and for sharing information about the cases that Afghanistan is investigating and prosecuting at all levels. We look forward to continuing our positive exchanges and collaboration to guarantee that there will be no impunity for international crimes.”
The Office is appreciative of Afghanistan’s expressed commitment and the steps taken towards addressing accountability for atrocity crimes and securing justice for victims in Afghanistan in close collaboration with the ICC. The information and clarifications generated at the meeting will be helpful to the Office’s independent assessment of the Government of Afghanistan’s article 18(2) deferral request. The Prosecutor’s decision on that request is pending.
In the picture UNWTO SG Zurab Pololikashvili, President Luis Abinader, and DR Tourism Minister David Collado Morales – Picture by UNWTO.
Friday, 7 May 2021, Punta Cana, Dominican Republic: President of Dominican Republic, Luis Abinader invited the tourism ministers participating in the XXVI Summit of Tourism Ministers of the Americas, convened by the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO), to “show the world that we are redesigning the future of tourism, that this is Latin America’s moment”.
President Abinader affirmed that, “today I feel prouder to be part of Latin American leadership. Seeing this commitment inspires me to move forward, to get up every day and bet on the future of our region”.
Tourism leaders in the Americas committed to jointly addressing the reactivation of tourism, making the sector a priority and adopting international protocols. Additionally, they agreed to emphasize innovation and digital transformation, develop sustainable tourism and strengthen support mechanisms for workers and impacted companies.
At the beginning of the meeting, the Secretary General of the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO), Zurab Pololikashvili commended the way Dominican Republic has handled the response to the COVID-19 pandemic and highlighted that “re-establishing trust in travel is a key first step towards tourism recovery, bringing hope to millions of people in the Americas and igniting the economic recuperation in general.”
Among the main topics of discussion included re-establishing confidence in travel, protecting businesses and jobs, and ensuring that the benefits of the tourism revival are felt beyond the industry itself. The working sessions were attended in person by ministers and vice ministers of Brazil, Colombia (Vice Minister of Tourism, Julián Guerrero) Cuba, El Salvador, Guatemala, Haiti, Honduras, Mexico (Secretary of Tourism, Miguel Torruco Marqués), Panama, Puerto Rico, Uruguay and Venezuela, and virtually by government officials from Argentina, Barbados, Bolivia, Chile, Nicaragua, and Peru.
The meetings were developed with the coordination of the host country through the Ministry of Tourism of Dominican Republic, with the participation of representatives of the International Air Transport Association (IATA), the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) and the Association of Hotels and Tourism of Dominican Republic, among other sector organizations.
The summit ended with attendees signing the Declaration of Punta Cana which sealed the commitment of the regional leaders to make tourism a pillar of sustainable development and ensure an effective recovery plan post-COVID.
