MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

The Pan-American Congress closes with a call for more equal north-south dialogue

“It is necessary to reframe the dialogue between the north and south of the Americas in more equal terms,” said the meeting's coordinator, David Adler, at the closing session held at the Teatro Solís

The third Pan-American Congress concluded on Sunday in Montevideo with a call to reframe relations between the north and south of the Americas on more equal terms. The forum, which brought together some 150 lawmakers, governors and former heads of state from fifteen countries, will hold its next edition in Brazil in 2027.

“It is necessary to reframe the dialogue between the north and south of the Americas in more equal terms,” said the meeting's coordinator, David Adler, at the closing session held at the Teatro Solís. Conclusions were organised around regional integration, peace and security, care policies and welfare systems.

The congress was marked by one notable absence: former Colombian president Gustavo Petro, who promoted the first edition, held in Bogotá in 2024. Organisers cancelled his participation as a precaution to avoid exposure to sanctions, since Petro has been listed since October 2025 by the Office of Foreign Assets Control of the US Treasury Department, along with the then first lady, his eldest son and his interior minister. The designation, administrative rather than judicial in character, cited an alleged role in illicit drug trafficking. There has been no trial or conviction, and the Colombian government at the time described it as political persecution.

Among the subjects debated was the militarisation of public security in several countries in the region. Brazilian senator Humberto Costa warned that the inclusion of two organisations from his country on the US list of terrorist groups affects national sovereignty and could serve as an argument for military intervention under the justification of combating drug trafficking. He called for particular attention to Brazil ahead of October's presidential elections.

US lawmakers present referred to the midterm elections due in November in their country. Representative Jesús García called for prioritising the wellbeing of working people and respect for the sovereignty of Latin American nations.

The gathering, held from Friday to Sunday with both public sessions and closed-door debates, also included an address by Macarena Gelman, granddaughter of Argentine poet Juan Gelman, whose identity was taken from her at birth during Argentina's dictatorship and who was located years later by the Grandmothers of the Plaza de Mayo. The figure of the late Uruguayan president José Mujica was repeatedly invoked in speeches.

The forum began in Bogotá in 2024 and held its second edition in Mexico City in 2025. With Brazil chosen as host, the meeting moves to the region's largest country in the year following its presidential elections.