Working Together at the Summit of the Americas

 

"We must choose the future over the past, because we know that the future holds enormous opportunities if we work together."
—President Obama, “Choosing a Better Future in the Americas,” op-ed published on April 16, 2009 in advance of the Summit of the Americas

 

On April 17-19, 2009, the leaders of 34 countries will meet in Trinidad and Tobago for the Summit of the Americas. The leaders, including President Obama, have a lot to discuss—the weighty theme of this year’s summit is “Securing Our Citizens’ Future by Promoting Human Prosperity, Energy Security and Environmental Sustainability.”

In advance of the summit, President Obama wrote an op-ed piece that was published in papers throughout the Americas. In the piece, President Obama signaled his intent to create “21st century partnerships, freed from the posturing of the past.”

Learn more about the issues facing the Americas with these resources from YES!

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More from YES! on Promoting Human Prosperity, Energy Security and Environmental Sustainability

• As the people of Latin America build democracies from the bottom up, the symbols of power are changing

• 13 Best energy ideas (and 3 really bad ones)

• Belo Horizonte, Brazil, is the city that ended hunger. Find out how they did it

• These community members joined together to effect social change in the Americas

• Is the U.S. ready for human rights? Find out more from our spring 2007 issue

• Building democracy. Collaborating across borders. Fighting poverty. View an interactive map of eight hot spots of progress in Latin America

• Argentina's workers took over factories, citizens took over the streets. And no one seemed to miss having a boss. Read about horizontalidad, the word that embodies the new social arrangements in Argentina

• View scenes from Latin America

• For years the U.S. imposed authoritarian leaders and corporate-friendly policies on Latin American countries. Now the countries are setting their own path.

• Economic globalization is driving workers north. Often, they leave their rights at the border

• The Cuban health care system is producing a population that is as healthy as those of the world's wealthiest countries at a fraction of the cost. Read more about Cuba's cure
  
  

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Learn More About the Summit of the Americas—Beyond YES!

•   Summit of the Americas from the U.S. Department of State

• The official website  of the Summit:  coverage of the summit, including blogs and video

• Read President Obama's op-ed piece, published on April 16, 2009
  
  

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Laura Kaliebe wrote this article for YES! Magazine. Laura is an online editorial intern at YES!