President Duque joins Concordia in Washington, D.C. and New York City

“I remember when Concordia was simply an idea on a sheet of paper and today it is one of the leading institutions for public and private sector cooperation in the world,”

H.E. Iván Duque Márquez, President of the Republic of Colombia, speaking at February 13th’s Concordia-hosted dinner in Washington, D.C.

Just six months since President Iván Duque Márquez was sworn into office as Colombia’s youngest president of the modern era, the country is well underway to entering a period of transformation, advancement, and opportunity. Nevertheless, significant challenges remain, and the environment is ripe—now, more than ever before—for cross-sector collaboration and cooperation towards shared progress across both the country and Latin America as a whole.

Last week, Concordia was honored to host President Duque in the United States. On Wednesday, Concordia held a dinner to honor the President’s visit to Washington, D.C. The intimate dinner provided an opportunity to hear first-hand from the President himself, as well as Morgan Ortagus, Concordia Advisor, National Security Analyst, and Fox News Contributor, and Concordia Co-Founders Matthew Swift and Nicholas Logothetis. The discussion covered the outlook for Latin America, the critical relationship between the United States and Colombia, and the role of public-private partnerships in advancing progress towards the region’s humanitarian, political, and economic challenges.

Two days later, Concordia welcomed President Duque to New York City for the ringing of the historic NYSE Bell at the Closing Bell Ceremony. Concordia Members had the opportunity to participate in the ceremony, which signals the end of the day’s trading, while also listening to President Duque’s address and networking with other attendees.

Concordia’s long-standing relationship with Latin America, in particular Colombia, dates back to the organization’s founding in 2011. Since then, Concordia has hosted three Americas Summits, with the most recent two being held in Bogotá, Colombia. Concordia is also proud to be opening its first international office in Bogotá this year, which will help amplify its on-the-ground presence. More about the history of Concordia’s Americas Initiative can be found here. In May 2019, Concordia will return to Bogotá for its 2019 Americas Summit.

About the 2019 Concordia Americas Summit:

The 2019 Americas Summit is taking place on May 13-14 at the Grand Hyatt, Bogotá and is Concordia’s flagship regional convening in Latin America, with a focus on issues across the region as well as specific to Colombia. Building off of Concordia’s track-record of convenings in the region and Annual Summit programming, the 2019 Americas Summit will provide an international platform through which to address immediate humanitarian, economic, and political issues facing the Western Hemisphere through the lens of cross-sector collaboration. Topics include: security and the cross-border fight against narco-trafficking; scaling local solutions to advance progress towards the Venezuelan humanitarian crisis; development and peace in the region, with an emphasis on the Colombian peace accords; trade, economic development, and entrepreneurship; and, the role of innovative financing in achieving the SDGs.