Latin American Leaders Meet in Panama to Rethink the Region’s Role in the World
Lula da Silva Arrives in Panama, pictured above, for the CAF International Economic Forum. Javier Martínez Acha (left), and the President of Brazil, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva (center).
The second edition of the Latin America and Caribbean International Economic Forum kicked off Wednesday with the participation of eight heads of state and government, in a space that seeks to rethink the region’s positioning on the global stage. Among the leaders participating in the forum are President José Raúl Mulino (Panama), Gustavo Petro (Colombia), Andrew Holness, Prime Minister of Jamaica, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva (Brazil), Daniel Noboa (Ecuador), José Antonio Kast, President-elect of Chile, Rodrigo Paz (Bolivia) and Bernardo Arévalo (Guatemala). The meeting, organized by the Development Bank of Latin America and the Caribbean (CAF) together with the Government of Panama, will run until this Thursday and will bring together more than 2,500 political, economic and academic leaders from different parts of the world.
Live – Panama hosts the ‘Latin American Davos’ with several leaders from the region. The meeting is in Spanish and is ongoing today, so check back throughout the day for further updates in English.
The presidents of Colombia and Bolivia, Gustavo Petro above center and Rodrigo Paz, respectively, joined the list of regional leaders participating in the Latin American and Caribbean International Economic Forum in Panama, a meeting known as the “Latin American Davos”. Both heads of state were received by the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Panama, Javier Martínez-Acha, within the framework of the official agenda of the forum, which brings together political, business and multilateral organizations from the region.
Arévalo Joins the List of Leaders who are Participating in the Economic Summit in Panama
Guatemalan President Bernardo Arévalo was received by Panamanian Foreign Minister Javier Martínez Acha.
Rigoberta Menchú: Nobel Peace Prize Laureate 1992
Rigoberta Menchú, Nobel Peace Prize (1992) Proposes a Revolution of Consciousness for Latin America
CAF Calls for Strengthening Regional Integration to Tackle Inequality and Unemployment
Sergio Díaz-Granados, executive president of CAF, during the inauguration of the Latin America and Caribbean International Economic Forum 2026.
CAF’s CEO, Sergio Díaz-Granados, announced that CAF aims to grow its portfolio by at least 70% by 2031, with new approvals of $100 billion, to consolidate its position as the main source of development financing for Latin America and the Caribbean.
Lula: The region needs less ideology and more effective integration
President of Brazil, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.
Rodrigo Paz, President of Bolivia: ‘Ideology doesn’t put food on the table; what puts food on the table is employment’
The Bolivian president urged the region to abandon demagoguery, prioritize employment over ideology, and build integration based on truth, education, and verifiable trust.
Mulino Calls for the Formation of a Single Bloc in Latin America to Gain Weight on the Global Stage
José Raúl Mulino, President of Panama, during the inauguration of the Latin America and Caribbean International Economic Forum 2026
From Panama, President José Raúl Mulino highlighted the strategic value of the Canal in world trade and called for deepening Latin American integration to strengthen regional competitiveness in an increasingly challenging global scenario.
Petro Calls for a Pact for Freedom and Announces he will Speak with Trump about Drug Trafficking and Security
Speaking at the CAF Forum in Panama, Gustavo Petro of Colombia called for Latin America to unite against ‘transnational mafias’, questioned the traditional drug strategy, and announced that he would take these proposals to a conversation with the President of the United States.
