5th Summit of the Americas

5th Summit of the Americas

5th Summit of the Americas logo
Host country Trinidad and Tobago
Dates April 17–19, 2009
Venue(s) Hyatt Regency Trinidad
Cities Port of Spain
Participants 33
Follows 4th Summit of the Americas
Precedes 6th Summit of the Americas
Website http://www.fifthsummitoftheamericas.org/

The Fifth Summit of the Americas (VSOA) was held at Port of Spain in Trinidad and Tobago, on April 17–19, 2009.[1]

Organizers planned for the Fifth Summit to focus on a wide-ranging theme: "Securing Our Citizens' Future by Promoting Human Prosperity, Energy Security and Environmental Sustainability."[2]

Overview

The Summits of the Americas are a continuing series of summits bringing together the leaders of North America, Central America, the Caribbean and South America. The function of these summits is to foster discussion of a variety of issues affecting the western hemisphere. These high-level summit meetings have been organized by a number of multilateral bodies under the aegis of the Organization of American States. In the early 1990s, what were formerly ad hoc summits came to be institutionalized into a regular "Summits of the Americas" conference program.[3]

Agenda

Group photo of leaders attending Port-of-Spain summit.
Partial group photo of leaders at the closing Port-of-Spain summit.

The host nation's task in organizing the summit programme was a multi-faceted challenge.[11]

The top issue at the summit was the current economic crisis, which also encompassed issues of access to increased credit and lending from multilateral banks, sub-regional banks and international development banks. Other issues included promoting human prosperity, energy security and environmental sustainability.[12]

Regional leaders had their first face-to-face meeting with United States President Barack Obama at the summit.[13]

Venezuela's President Hugo Chávez used his first meeting with President Obama to argue in favor of lifting the US-led embargo of Cuba. Chávez also used the occasion to publicly present Obama with a copy of Eduardo Galeano's 1971 book Open Veins of Latin America.[14]

Security

The host country's Office for Disaster Preparedness and Management (ODPM) planned to ensure that they would be prepared to deal with the consequences of natural or man-made hazards which might impact the delegates during the Summit of the Americas. The Ministry of National Security and OPDM worked together in anticipation of over 4,000 visitors.[15]

Other American nations made security forces available during the international event. Premier of Bermuda Ewart Brown offered to request 35 soldiers of the Bermuda Regiment to be sent,[16] but the offer was declined as unnecessary.[17] In preparation for the summit, the Jamaica Defence Force (JDF) and the Jamaica Constabulary Force (JCF) sent 124 officers for a three-week training program in Trinidad. The Jamaican contingent was briefed and given all the necessary resources and equipment, and they were expected to bring back to Jamaica any good ideas and best practices which might be observed during the operation.[18]

Heads of State and Government

Summary of Leaders
Flag and CountryHead of State / Government
 Antigua and Barbuda Prime Minister Baldwin Spencer
 ArgentinaPresident Cristina Fernández de Kirchner
 BahamasPrime Minister Hubert Ingraham
 Barbados Prime Minister David Thompson
 Belize Prime Minister Dean Barrow
 Bolivia President Evo Morales
 Brazil President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva
 Canada Prime Minister Stephen Harper
 Chile President Michelle Bachelet
 Colombia President Álvaro Uribe
 Costa Rica President Óscar Arias
 Dominica Prime Minister Roosevelt Skerrit
 Dominican Republic President Leonel Fernández
 Ecuador President Rafael Correa
 El Salvador President Tony Saca
 Grenada Prime Minister Tillman Thomas
 Guatemala President Álvaro Colom
 Guyana President Bharrat Jagdeo
 Haiti President René Garcia Préval
 Honduras President Manuel Zelaya
 Jamaica Prime Minister Bruce Golding
 Mexico President Felipe Calderón
 Nicaragua President Daniel Ortega
 Panama President Martín Torrijos
 Paraguay President Fernando Lugo
 Peru President Alan García
 Saint Kitts and Nevis Prime Minister Denzil Douglas
 Saint Lucia Prime Minister Stephenson King
 Saint Vincent and the Grenadines Prime Minister Ralph Gonsalves
 Suriname President Ronald Venetiaan
 Trinidad and Tobago Prime Minister Patrick Manning
 United States of America President Barack Obama
 Uruguay President Tabaré Vázquez
 Venezuela President Hugo Chávez

Notes

References

External links

Preceded by
4th Summit of the Americas
Summits of the Americas
2009
Port of Spain
Succeeded by
6th Summit of the Americas
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