For this Thursday, meetings of foreign ministers are planned, and the opening ceremony will take place in the evening, presided over by the President of Ecuador Daniel Noboa. On Friday, the high-level session will be held with the heads of state and government and the delegation leaders.

The so-called Cuenca Declaration must be adopted and the pro tempore secretariat will be transferred from Ecuador to Spain.

The Summit aims to find creative solutions to common problems, such as access to employment, education, strengthening connectivity, and the use of new technologies, the organizers said.

Although the Ecuadorian government has been preparing the event for months, the foreign ministry has not specified how many leaders will be present “for security and other reasons.”

Local media reported that only six of the more than 20 leaders invited to the event are expected to attend. If so, that would be the lowest number of participants in the history of the Summit.

Ecuadorian foreign minister Gabriela Sommerfeld informed a media outlet that “it would have been nicer or more important for more heads of state to come. We understand from the letters we have received that external or internal issues have prevented them from attending.”

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