On Tuesday, U.S. President Joe Biden appointed former legislators Christopher Dodd and Debbie Mucarsel-Powell, who have knowledge about Latin America, as White House advisers to the 9th Summit of the Americas to be held in Los Angeles from June 6 to June 10.
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Former Democratic Senator Dodd became familiar with Latin American issues during the 1960s, when he joined President John Kennedy's Peace Corps and traveled extensively over the region. He was also a volunteer in the Dominican Republic.
The Ecuadorian Mucarsel-Powell served as a U.S. representative for Florida's Congressional district from 2019 to 2021. While chairing the Hispanic Caucus Women's Task Force, she sponsored environmental and public health legislation. The White House highlighted her role in defending Latin American migrant's rights.
“We trust that Dodd and Mucarsel-Powell will ensure that this edition of the Americas Summit strengthens interregional collaboration and respect amid the current economic and health crisis,” the White House spokesperson Jen Psaki stated.
Under the slogan “Building a Sustainable, Resilient, and Equitable Future,” the upcoming summit is the second of its type to be organized by the United States after the 1994 original edition held in Miami. Its delegates are expected to discuss issues of regional interest such as migration, the COVID-19 pandemic, and climate change.
Seven other ordinary summits were held in Santiago (Chile, 1998), Quebec (Canada, 2001), Mar del Plata (Argentina, 2005), Port of Spain (Trinidad and Tobago, 2009), Cartagena de Indias (Colombia, 2012), Panama (2015), and Lima (Peru, 2018).