The IDB Annual Assembly, deliberations will focus on the challenges arising from the pandemic and the keys to recovery, will have this year as a major protagonist in Colombia, not only because it will originate from the thriving city of Barranquilla, but, above all, for the undoubted leadership that our country has achieved in the regional and international context.
A position recognized not only by decisions of impact on the region and 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 newly created Forum for the Progress and Integration of South America (Prosur) and now the IDB Board of Governors.
The event will take place from 17 to 21 March and will feature the participation – virtually and in person – of authorities and leaders of the public and private sectors of the region. For Colombia, 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 16 March we will chair the special session of Prosur, in which we will discuss strategies to deal with the crisis generated by the pandemic, share efforts to start vaccination and draw mechanisms to accelerate economic recovery .
During this IDB assembly, a series of agreements, arrangements and loans for the country will materialize in various key sectors for the economy and development.
In the framework of 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 the ‘Investment and strengthening of chains regional value as an engine for economic recovery ‘.
Of course, the agenda of the meeting has a strong environmental component. The program includes deliberations on ‘Sustainable development of the Amazon region’, ‘Colombia and the Caribbean countries: climate resilience’, ‘Colombia’s path to COP26’ and ‘The PreCOP15 of biodiversity, the Amazon initiative and the biodiversity ‘.
On Tuesday we will present the technical studies for the tender for the Magdalena River project, thus fulfilling a promise made in the campaign: the recovery of navigability in this important river corridor, which is a milestone for infrastructure Colombian. Also in the Assembly we will present the book ‘Energy transition: a legacy for the present and future of Colombia’, which explains why today our country is a regional leader in unconventional renewable energies.
It will also be an opportunity to formalize the start of the modernization and digital transformation of justice in Colombia, in response to the cry of Colombians to make it more efficient and more comprehensive.
And a topic that can not be missed in the week of discussions is the orange economy. Therefore, in events such as ‘The future is creative’ we will be reviewing the impact of the pandemic on the creative industries, but at the same time, the emergence of innovative proposals.
During this IDB assembly in Colombia, a series 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 event we will be opening the event ‘The new equity agenda after the pandemic’.
Undoubtedly, the agenda of the IDB 2021 meeting is of great importance for our country because it will contribute, from different fronts, to promote the Commitment to Colombia, a roadmap drawn up to promote social investment, the generation of ’employment and clean and sustainable growth, and to continue supporting Colombians, especially the most vulnerable.
IVÁN DUC MÁRQUEZ
President of Colombia