A B’nai B’rith International (BBI) team will attend the Summit of the Americas April 15-19 in Trinidad and Tobago. As at past summits, B’nai B’rith leaders will meet with government officials and other non-governmental organizations.
“Securing our Citizens’ Future by Promoting Human Prosperity, Energy Security, and Environmental Sustainability” is the theme of the summit, which will focus on confronting the global economic crisis and how to combat the corresponding spike in poverty.
President Barack Obama will attend this international gathering of leaders of North and South American nations, focusing on the principles of democracy and free trade. This summit, Obama’s first, is also the first global meeting between the leaders of the Americas and the U.S. president.
B’nai B’rith International President Moishe Smith, who is leading the BBI delegation, said “It is crucial to have positive dialogue among the nations of North and South America. But those conversations must become action. These nations must stand together to tackle shared issues, such as extreme poverty.”
BBI Director of Latin American Affairs Eduardo Kohn, who will also be representing B’nai B’rith International at the summit, said, “The challenge is what we can do today. We can only overcome poverty in the framework of true democracy, the only system where we can exercise the freedom we deserve, and the only framework to promote the development all of us have the right to enjoy.” At the 2005 Summit of the Americas, Kohn noted, “If we do not face these challenges together, they will quickly be out of our hands.”
The Summit of the Americas offers a critical opportunity for nations to collaborate on the challenges and threats facing the hemisphere. “From terrorism, to a growing Iranian influence, to drug trafficking, the nations of North and South America have many mutual concerns,” said BBI Executive Vice President Daniel S. Mariaschin. “These issues have an impact on the Jewish and non-Jewish communities of the region, and at its best, the summit is an opportunity to establish common denominators on these issues that hopefully will transcend boundaries."
To arrange interviews at the Summit of the Americas, please contact B’nai B’rith’s headquarters:
sbender@bnaibrith.org or 202-857-6699.
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