Leaders from Latin America and the Caribbean have gathered in Santo Domingo for the XXVIII Ibero-American Summit with the aim to achieve tangible results in terms of sustainability, digital transformation, food security and financial architecture. Hosted by President Luis Abinader of the Dominican Republic, the event will produce a set of documents to guide debates and facilitate the development of public policies, including the Ibero-American Environmental Charter, the Food Security Strategy and the Charter of Digital Principles and Rights. In his opening speech, Abinader stressed the need for integration and collaboration to tackle challenges posed by changing times, paradigms and models. He called for collective responses to “common challenges” related to democracy, freedom and extremism, and urged the leaders to seek concrete results that dismantle threats to democracy. The summit will continue with plenary sessions over the weekend. Eleven heads of state are present, with the president of Colombia, Gustavo Petro, arriving later, while the president of Venezuela, Nicolás Maduro, is expected to attend for the first time if he can make it to the meeting.
