PRESIDENT, Dr Irfaan Ali is leading a delegation to Los Angeles, California, USA, to attend the ninth Summit of the Americas, which is slated for this week.

The event is being held under the theme, “Building a Sustainable, Resilient, and Equitable Future.”

First Lady Arya Ali is accompanying the Head of State; Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, Hugh Todd; Foreign Secretary Robert Persaud and Ambassador George Talbot.

According to a release from the Office of the President, through the summit, leaders from the United States, North, Central, and South America and the Caribbean are expected to explore economic relationships and shared goals for the Western Hemisphere.

Discussions are forecasted to cover democracy; clean energy; digital transformation; climate change; migration; recovery from the coronavirus pandemic; building resilience and boosting economic growth. Several initiatives are expected to be launched in some of these areas.

Over the years, the summits have focused on critical cooperation in the Americas. This has allowed countries to work together to promote democracy and human rights; increase economic competitiveness; promote development; improve access to clean energy and communication technology; strengthen regional security and counter illicit trafficking.

In the eighth summit, leaders had committed to fighting corruption that undermines democratic governance when they met in Lima, Peru, in 2018.

The United States is hosting for the first time since the summit began in Miami in 1994 with President Bill Clinton. A packed schedule of events is carded for the week, including plenary and roundtable discussions.