In the opening ceremony, President Noboa referred to the challenges faced by the countries of the community, such as the fight against transnational organized crime, climate change, the labor inclusion of young people, and access to education. “With coordinated efforts, we will be able to turn our differences into strengths,” he said, affirming that his government has worked to bring the event forward “despite all the internal and external problems and conflicts.”

The adoption of the Cuenca Declaration and the transfer of the Ibero-American pro tempore secretariat to Spain is scheduled for this Friday.

This Summit has the lowest attendance of leaders since its origin, in 1991, with only 19 out of 22 invited delegations present.

“A summit requires the presence of heads of state; otherwise, it’s just a meeting. This troubling scenario stems from the total collapse of our foreign policy and a president who has become a joke on the international stage,” said former Ecuadorian foreign minister Guillaume Long, attributing the significant absence of leaders to the assault on the Mexican embassy last April.

According to analysts, this is compounded by the multidimensional crisis that Ecuador is suffering, with prolonged power cuts, insecurity, unemployment, and other problems.

jrr/llp/rc/avr