Assembly President urges Latin America, Caribbean to support economic summit

The President of the General Assembly has called on the Rio Group, an alliance of 23 Latin American and Caribbean nations, to play a central role in shaping the future of the global economy to truly reflect the needs and concerns of the region.

Speaking at a meeting yesterday in New York of the Rio Group in preparation for the upcoming high-level General Assembly Economic Crisis Summit in June, Miguel D’Escoto noted that the gathering comes at “a moment when we must stand together and demand that all countries have a voice in setting the policies that guide the future of our economies and our peoples.”

He stressed that the Summit, which will be held from 1-3 June in New York, is an opportunity “to find solutions to the crisis that will help all nations restore economic and financial stability, cultivate true human security and restore the confidence of our people in themselves, their leaders and their institutions.”

Mr. D’Escoto noted that the 570 million people represented by the Rio Group understand the far-reaching political and social implications of the global recession.

Instead of an anticipated period of progress and growing prosperity for the region, it faces the prospect of another lost decade for development, he said. “It could be many lost decades if, as an international community, we do not make changes urgently and in the measure required.”

The President urged the Rio Group not to “postpone, as so many times before, the opportunity to articulate a vision for the global economy as it emerges from this crisis in a global and democratic forum.”