The IDB’s annual meeting, whose deliberations will focus on the challenges of the pandemic and the keys to recovery, will have Colombia as its main protagonist this year, not only because it will come from the booming city of Barranquilla, but above all, for the leadership that our country has undoubtedly achieved in the regional and international context.
A position recognized not only by impact decisions in the region and in the world, such as the Temporary Statute for the Protection of Migrants, but because our country today presides over such important organizations as the Andean Community of Nations, the Pacific Alliance, the recently created Forum for Progress and South American Integration (Prosur) and, now, the IDB Board of Governors.
The contest will take place between March 17-21 and will have the participation – virtual and personal – of authorities and leaders from the public and private sectors in the region. For Colombia, the host of the meeting, the agenda has a special interest in four key issues for our government: regional integration, climate change and biodiversity, sustainable economic recovery and digital governance.
As a prelude to the meeting on Tuesday, March 16, we will chair the special session of Prosur, during which we will discuss strategies to deal with the pandemic crisis, share efforts to start vaccination and develop mechanisms to accelerate the economic recovery.
During this IDB meeting, a series of agreements, arrangements and loans for the country will materialize in various key sectors for the economy and development.
In the Assembly, we will also address in depth the situation of Venezuelan migration, an event organized by Canada, which chairs the Conference of Solidarity with Venezuelan Migrants and Refugees, and we will hear experiences around “Investing and Strengthening Regional Regions”. value chains as an engine for economic recovery. ”
Of course, the meeting agenda has a strong environmental component. The program includes deliberations on “Sustainable Development of the Amazon Region”, “Colombia and the Caribbean: Climate Resistance”, “Colombia’s Road to COP26” and “PreCOP15 on Biodiversity, the Amazon Initiative and Biodiversity”.
On Tuesday, we will present the technical studies for the tender for the Magdalena River project, with which we fulfill a promise made in the campaign: the recovery of navigability in this important river corridor, which is an important stage for Colombian infrastructure. We will also present to the Assembly the book “Energy Transition: A Legacy for Colombia’s Present and Future,” which explains why our country today is a regional leader in unconventional renewable energy.
It will also be an opportunity to formalize the beginning of the modernization and digital transformation of justice in Colombia, in response to the call of Colombians to be more efficient and more comprehensive.
And a topic that cannot be missed in the week of discussions is the orange economy. For this reason, in events such as “The future is creative”, we will analyze the impact of the pandemic on the creative industries, but, at the same time, the emergence of innovative proposals.
During this IDB meeting in Colombia, a number of agreements, arrangements and loans for the country will materialize in various key sectors for the economy and development. And at the end of the contest we will open the event “The new equity agenda after the pandemic”.
Undoubtedly, the agenda of the IDB 2021 meeting is of enormous importance for our country, as it will contribute, from different fronts, to the promotion of the Commitment to Colombia, a roadmap developed to promote social investment, job creation and ecological growth. and sustainable and continue to support Colombians, especially the most vulnerable.
IVÁN DUQUE MÁRQUEZ
President of Colombia