At the close of the 25th Ibero-American Summit of Heads of State and Government, held in Cartagena de Indias, Colombia, Foreign Minister Susana Malcorra emphasized the role to be played by Ibero-America in the building of a new multipolar world: “A world based on respect for democracy and human rights which prevails in our region, a place where the strengthening of democratic institutions is an ongoing task, where the supremacy of law and respect for human rights and the separation of State powers are essential. Our region is a place where governance is based on responding to our citizens’ demands and which, in the case of Argentina, is focused on transparency and the fight against corruption as one of the three primary goals to promote sustainable economic and social growth”.
“Ibero-America must take a leading role in the implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, which we have all agreed upon. Our region has diversity and wealth, natural wealth, talent and human capital. Such diversity and wealth should enable us to achieve the goal of eliminating the marked inequalities still existing in our region. We must increase, supplement and intensify our efforts”, stressed Malcorra.
As regards the responsibilities undertaken by Argentina, Malcorra stated: “Argentina has signed the Ibero-American Youth Covenant. The commitment assumed by Argentina, especially in the field of education, is historic. At present, in Argentina there are fifty-three thousand foreign university students pursuing undergraduate courses, of whom 90 percent are from this region and two-thirds attend national, public and free-of-charge universities. This is our conviction and our commitment, not only to education but also to youth and to the region. The commitment to mobility, in Argentina, is borne out by”.
In addition, Malcorra stated: “Once again, I would like to express thanks for your support to Argentina on the Malvinas question. It is always helpful to have the region support the call for dialogue with the United Kingdom”.
Finally, Malcorra referred to the place of women in the region: “I would really like to stress that we may not be investing enough in women, because we talk about gender but we do not act accordingly. This is really serious and has a negative impact on the achievement of the sustainable development goals that we have set. The time for words is definitely over; it is now time for actions, and youth, women and young women require that we do so”.
