The 27th Annual CAF Conference in September 2024 will center on security in the Americas

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
April 23, 2024
Contact: Gemma Givens
press@thedialogue.org

Washington, DC – Luis Almagro, Secretary General of the Organization of American States (OAS), Rebecca Bill Chavez, President & CEO of the Inter-American Dialogue, and Sergio Díaz-Granados, Executive President of CAF – development bank of Latin America and the Caribbean (CAF), announced that the upcoming CAF Conference, set for September 5, 2024 in Washington DC, will specifically address security issues in Latin America and the Caribbean. Additionally, a preparatory event is scheduled during the OAS General Assembly from June 26 to 28, 2024, in Paraguay. 

For the region’s citizens, crime is a primary concern in daily life. The rise in crime rates, drug trafficking, violence against women, and the presence of gangs in neighborhoods have all contributed to a heightened sense of insecurity across our hemisphere. 

Various forms of organized crime, including drug trafficking, illegal migrant smuggling, arms trafficking, and illegal mining, have proliferated in the region alongside criminal gangs that have used violence to assert control over neighborhoods. 

In response to these challenges, the Annual CAF Conference, in collaboration with the Inter-American Dialogue and the OAS, will propose new solutions to combat this pervasive issue, which undermines the life aspirations of millions of people in Latin America and the Caribbean and hampers human development and economic growth in the region. 

During the announcement of the Annual CAF Conference, Sergio Díaz-Granados remarked, “The spirit of using multilateralism and international organizations to face the challenges that the region has is one of the most important purposes of the conference. These joint efforts will help us to maintain a good level of dialogue to overcome the 2030 Agenda in Latin America and the Caribbean.”

“The topics that the conference has been addressing in its various editions are directly linked to the four pillars of our organization: promotion and strengthening of democracy, access to human rights and equity, multidimensional security and comprehensive development. For us, this conference is essential to develop a joint agenda with the different cooperation bodies,” added Luis Almagro, OAS Secretary General. 

Rebecca Bill-Chavez, President & CEO of the Inter-American Dialogue, stated that “The need to address crime and violence in Latin America and the Caribbean is urgent and undeniable. Reducing citizen insecurity will significantly increase economic development, help address one of the root causes of the hemisphere-wide migration crisis and strengthen democratic governance – if the policies are consistent with the rule of law and human rights.” 

Organized since 1997 by CAF, the Inter-American Dialogue, and the Organization of American States, the Annual CAF Conference stands as a key hemispheric forum for discussing and analyzing major political, economic, and social trends in Latin America and the Caribbean.

Notes to Editors  

The Inter-American Dialogue engages our network of global leaders to foster democratic governance, shared prosperity, and social equity in Latin America and the Caribbean. Together, we shape policy debate, devise solutions, and enhance cooperation within the Western Hemisphere.  

For information regarding the 27th Annual CAF Conference, please contact Gemma Givens at press@thedialogue.org or +1-202-463-2571.

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