Leaders attending
the Ibero-American Summit meeting in the Dominican Republic have highlighted rising inflation and migration as risks to
the stability of the region.
Presidents and representatives from 22 countries have
gathered in Santo Domingo for the weekend summit on Saturday, which provides
a forum for leaders from across Latin America as well as Spain
and Portugal.
The meeting comes as the region is grappling with stubbornly
high inflation and global concerns over the financial sector
after the failure of US regional banks Silicon Valley Bank
and Signature Bank this month.
“At this point in time, with so much (of the financial
sector) concentrated, with so much speculative play, we should
already understand that the current financial system does not
have to be helped anymore. We must drastically change it,” said
Argentina President Alberto Fernandez.
Leaders also called for regional collaboration on migration
amid thousands of people fleeing Latin American countries for
the US border due to economic hardships, rising violence and
other challenges.
“Today migration management constitutes one of the great
regional challenges,” said Chilean President Gabriel Boric.
“There is no infallible recipe and any solution requires working together with countries of origin, transit and destination.”
Colombian President Gustavo Petro told journalists he was
considering going to Haiti to assess the most “constructive”
role for Colombia there.
The Caribbean state faces a
humanitarian crisis driven by gangs that rights groups say now
control most of the country.
The United Nations has urged countries to “urgently consider” deploying a specialised
force.
READ MORE:
Haiti’s political crisis deepens as last senators leave office
Food crisis
Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, meanwhile, cancelled
his attendance at the Ibero-American summit after receiving a
positive Covid-19 test result, though he has since tested
negative twice, Vice President Delcy Rodriguez said.
The summit would have marked Maduro’s first foreign trip
this year.
On Friday, the summit addressed the food crisis in the Caribbean and Latin America, the region where basic healthy diet is most expensive, at $3.89 per person per day in 2020, compared to $3.19 in North America and Europe, according to the UN.
This is a price that 22.5 percent of the region’s population cannot afford, according to the UN — more than 130 million people in 2020.
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