XXXVI LATIN AMERICAN BUSINESS COUNCIL (CEAL) - PLENARY ASSEMBLY

November 4, 2025 - Washington, DC

Good morning.

Don Roberto Zamora, president of CEAL, and members of your board: I’m happy that the President of Ecuador will join us soon. It’s great to have him here in Washington, as well as Vice Minister Silli from Italy. Thank you very much for joining us—distinguished leaders of Latin America’s and the Caribbean’s business community from many countries.

Friends from the private sector, my colleagues from the Organization of American States, ladies and gentlemen: I’m delighted to see you again, and I hope you had a wonderful evening last night at the OAS. I hope you take good memories with you. Thank you very much for hosting that event at the Organization of American States.

I want to thank your chair—your president, Roberto—for his sustained engagement with the private sector and with international organizations, especially with the Organization of American States.

Since my time as Assistant Secretary General, 15 years ago, we began building that relationship with CEAL, and I’m happy to see that more than a decade later we are reconnecting, Roberto, and signing the agreement today. Times have changed, as you mentioned earlier. Fifteen years ago, the world was different; the hemisphere was different.

There have been profound changes in the way global politics and geopolitics work, and that has an impact on regions. In this day and age of heightened uncertainty—driven by many developments whose direction we cannot yet foresee—your theme for this 36th assembly, Deglobalization and Repositioning, is exactly right. Those are key elements for how we will respond to today’s uncertainty, especially in the hemisphere. Let me be clear, and I have stated this publicly: the OAS does not seek to get involved in geopolitics at the global level. That is not our job. Our job is to unite this hemisphere—the Americas. When we speak about, as you mentioned, Roberto, “America First,” for the OAS, for me, it is not only “America First”; it is “Americas First”—all of us first. That is what we must keep in mind. Then we will be on the right track to build the new community our hemisphere needs. It is time for a new path and a new direction. The private sector plays a critical role in that regard. In that context, I will share a few thoughts.

Amid today’s uncertainty, principles that once seemed unshakable at the global level—multilateralism, democracy, international law, international humanitarian law, the role of the United Nations Security Council, and many other institutions—are being tested. Some have weakened. We must recognize that the world order created after World War II is changing. We should not only adapt to it but also be able to respond to it. And as we face these challenges, it is not only about analyzing problems. Personally, I prefer to look at opportunities—new ways of doing business and of doing what we must do at the OAS: uniting the hemisphere. We need to re-imagine our world and our hemisphere today. I know this may seem far from business, but you do these exercises yourselves when you project your businesses into the future.

The same exercise should guide how we, including the private sector, position ourselves in this new hemisphere. When I assumed the leadership of the Organization of American States, my mandate was very clear: we want to advance peace and prosperity—two things, peace and prosperity. With peace: strengthening democracy, electoral processes, and good governance. With prosperity: ensuring that the people of the Americas have jobs and income; live in a peaceful environment; and can focus on their children’s future, supported by good education, quality health care, and safety. That is all: peace and prosperity. These are our two focus areas, and we are doing a great deal in that regard.

But first, we must address something else. We live in a highly polarized world. We need to rebuild political unity in our hemisphere. There is too much division—as we saw last night. It creates uncertainty, so much so that the Summit of the Americas, scheduled for early December, had to be postponed. For good reasons, we supported that decision by the Dominican Republic, and I appreciate that President Luis Abinader and Foreign Minister Roberto Álvarez had the courage to assess the situation and take a position for the benefit of our hemisphere. You do not want a meeting where nothing comes out of it—or worse, more division. What we need is a meeting where unity is demonstrated and a way forward is defined.
We will wait for that moment. The OAS stands firmly behind the Dominican Republic—to support the government as host country—and we will work with other institutions like the IDB and other partners throughout the process.
This new vision of peace and prosperity will require both political will and strong partnerships to respond to today’s reality.

Most importantly, this vision cannot be achieved by governments alone. It requires the involvement of every sector of society. The private sector, represented by each of you, is indispensable to our shared progress. You embody the innovation, resilience, and entrepreneurial spirit that drive our hemisphere forward. You are a community of visionary women and men—leaders who transform ideas into industries and investments into opportunities. We need you as a solid partner. Last night I said: we are in the same boat. Maybe one is nearer the bow and another toward the stern—sometimes the reverse—but it is still the same boat. If we succeed and reach calmer waters, we all will be happy. If we remain in troubled waters and sink, we all sink together. That is the simple truth. We are one society, and we must work together. It is a partnership, but it must be honest and genuinely constructive. Your leadership fuels not only growth but also hope—the hope of millions across the Americas for a better, fairer, and more prosperous future.

Today we need, more than ever, your leadership to address the interconnected nature of the challenges we face. That is why the relationship with CEAL is so important: peace, security, and prosperity are inseparable. Without security, investment cannot thrive. Without investment, development stalls. And without development, democracy itself begins to weaken. At the same time, without democratic institutions, it becomes ever more difficult to sustain progress over the long term. Democracy remains the best system available to deliver shared prosperity—but it is not automatic and not guaranteed. Our practical experience shows this. Safeguarding democracy and democratic governance is not the work of governments or international organizations alone.

It is a promise that must be fulfilled by everyone in our societies. In that context, strengthening democracy, human rights, and good governance is also in your interest. You benefit from stability. So, whatever you do to support democracy, human rights, and good governance, do not see it merely as philanthropy or corporate social responsibility. See it as an investment—as part of your budget. It is an investment in the stability you need to prosper. It is a give-and-take, to the benefit of all. For democracy to endure, it must deliver for everyone. Citizens must see tangible improvements in their daily lives. When prosperity reaches people, trust in democracy grows, peace is sustained, and societies thrive.

The private sector lies at the heart of this mutually reinforcing relationship between democracy and development. Business cannot prosper when freedoms are restricted or the rule of law is absent. Likewise, democracies cannot flourish without a dynamic private sector—without jobs and income—especially where poverty prevails. What we need is greater coordination among all actors in our societies to work toward one shared goal. That is the essence of the peace and prosperity agenda we are advancing at the OAS—an agenda that builds on the organization’s long-standing mission to uphold human rights, strengthen democracy, and promote security and development as the enduring pillars of our collective work.

The pillars of the OAS—the goals and purposes adopted in 1948 in Bogotá, Colombia—have not changed. Next year, the OAS will celebrate 80 years of existence. Those goals were true then and remain true today. The circumstances change, and we must adapt to them, but the goals remain: democracy, human rights, security, and development. These are mutually reinforcing pillars. And when I speak of mobilizing the private sector and all of society, we also mobilize the inter-American system. For too long we have operated in silos: the Inter-American Development Bank, the Pan American Health Organization, the Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture, and the Organization of American States. We all have roles to play in building the collective strength of the inter-American system, and we have begun doing so. The four organizations now work closely together. Whether on Haiti or on specific economic-development issues, we coordinate. That is the unity we demonstrate as international organizations within the inter-American system. At the OAS, we have done much to support democracy.

Over the past years, we have carried out more than 330 electoral observation missions in 28 countries. We do not certify elections as such, but we provide, if you like, a seal of approval when things go well, and we always make recommendations to improve electoral processes—because democracy is an evolving process. That is just one example of how we help protect democratic procedures in our countries. We also want to ensure that democratic governance remains a pillar of democracy. In too many countries, leaders are democratically elected but do not govern democratically. We must avoid that, and in some countries it is happening. We have our challenges.

It is important that the partnerships we commit to are mutually beneficial and grounded in shared responsibility. Despite global turbulence—of which we are not immune but in which we do not seek an active role—our hemisphere remains a zone of peace. It is one of the few regions in the world that can make that claim. We must safeguard it. There is also a role for the private sector to speak out—to call on political leaders to safeguard peace in our hemisphere. Otherwise, the impact will be enormously negative: for the private sector, for our societies, and for overall security in the hemisphere. Apart from everything else, conflicts cost money—money that could be spent differently.

We want to ensure that the Western Hemisphere remains a zone of peace. Help us achieve that by voicing the importance of this issue. There is much work to do. I strongly believe the private sector can do more in our own hemisphere, particularly in a few areas. First, let us inform one another about business opportunities across our countries. I do not see that happening enough. We do not know enough about each other in the Americas. Investment opportunities must be visible. This is the collaboration I want to discuss: how do we ensure information is available on where the opportunities are? Let us keep capital and investment in our own region and create jobs with those investments. There are ample opportunities—in food security, energy security, and other areas at the forefront of your agenda—but we must first know where they are. We need to connect better within the hemisphere. Human connectivity—people-to-people; private sector to private sector; cultural and student exchanges. How many of us travel to Caribbean countries to learn more about them? How many in the Caribbean travel to other parts of the hemisphere to learn about opportunities, languages, and people? Without knowing one another, it is very difficult to build trust and seize opportunities. I therefore appeal to the private sector to help us build that human connectivity. We also need transport connectivity—improved road infrastructure so we can drive between our countries, improved maritime routes, and better air routes. Some countries remain relatively isolated from these networks.

There is a lot of work to be done—not only for connectivity’s sake but also to enable investment. Digital connectivity—investment in broadband and interoperable systems—is another priority. Information connectivity is equally important: sharing data, trade intelligence, and market opportunities; developing capital markets in our region; banks working together across the Americas; streamlining financial flows. These issues remain outstanding.

We need to hear from the private sector—someone told me this yesterday—about impediments and obstacles, so that governments can take them on board and work to remove them. That is the purpose of this partnership we seek. We have a lot to do. I strongly believe that, given the size of our markets in Latin America and the Caribbean—approximately 600 million people—and adding North America brings us close to 900 million people. That is a sizable market. It may not have the same purchasing power as Europe, but Europe is roughly half our size and doing better. Our intra-regional trade is approximately 15%, while other regions reach 55–60% because they keep wealth within the region, create jobs, and boost productivity. We are not doing well enough in this hemisphere. Our global footprint in the world economy is among the lowest. We can do more—there are opportunities, and our economies are growing. This is another area we must strengthen. It will not happen overnight, but we need to start. I see some countries moving in that direction, but there are many more opportunities. We have the chance to grow in this hemisphere; the private sector must be an essential part of that. New challenges also bring opportunities.

One challenge is that our region is not well equipped with strategic industries—pharmaceuticals, for example—as well as technology, innovation, artificial intelligence and its impact on business and society, and data analytics. How many companies are investing in these areas? Very few in Latin America and the Caribbean. These are our new challenges, and we must not lag behind. If we do, we will have to consume services developed elsewhere—and that has too often been the case. Let us create our own services industry in technology and innovation. Cybersecurity presents similar imperatives. This requires deeper analysis of our private-sector landscape across the Americas. We will find challenges—but more opportunities than challenges. Consider us a partner. I am glad we have begun this discussion, and you can count on me and the Organization of American States to continue it. I am very happy that we will shortly sign, Roberto, the MOU that formalizes the relationship between the Organization of American States and CEAL. I am also pleased that one of our focus areas—alongside financial inclusion, employment, education, and food security—will be support for Haiti.

We all share responsibility as members of the Americas. Haiti is a founding member of the Organization of American States—along with the Dominican Republic and Cuba, the third Caribbean country among the founders. If we do not succeed in Haiti, I personally feel that, as a hemisphere, we will have failed. I know that much depends on Haiti itself, but we must make the effort. I am grateful that CEAL, combining private-sector strength with social conscience, is willing to work with us in Haiti and with other inter-American institutions in education, food security, and financial inclusion. Signing this document will be a milestone for us, and I hope the beginning of a long-standing relationship—not only regarding Haiti, but in many other places where we can assist.

Let me close by noting that the 10th Summit of the Americas has been rescheduled for 2026. That does not mean we can ignore one of our critical obstacles: the absence of unity among our political leadership in the hemisphere.
We must focus on that. Without an immediate hemispheric gathering to discuss these issues, the responsibility now falls to the OAS and other institutions—and also to the private sector and civil society—to call for and build that unity. We have too many divisions in the hemisphere. That will not help you. Again, this is mutually beneficial. We must help one another build a united hemisphere, because without unity we cannot walk the road of peace and prosperity.

Let us work together—let us join forces—not only for ourselves, but to ensure that this generation and the next will have better lives and enjoy those lives in their own neighborhoods, in their own circumstances. With that, let us create a successful, stable, and prosperous hemisphere: the Americas.

Thank you very much.