From February 18 to 22, 2024, General Marco Antonio Álvarez Reyes (Mexico), President of the Council of Delegates of the Inter-American Defense Board, accompanied by Colonel Juan Alarcón Lastra (Peru), IADB Liaison Officer with the CEA and Colonel Sergio Rosendo Carrasco (Mexico), Defense and Security Advisor of the IADB, participated in the XXXVI Cycle of the Conference of American Armies (CEA), held in Mexico City.
The Opening Ceremony of the event was attended by 19 delegations from the CEA member armies, as well as three observers (Portugal, Spain and the IADB). In the plenary session, the President of the Council of Delegates highlighted the importance of the CEA for the integration of security and defense among its members and the constant improvement of doctrine, as well as the commitment to strengthen and cooperate in common causes to confront the more diverse threats. The importance of the valuable support of the armies of the countries of the Americas in the fulfillment of the noble purpose of the IADB was also highlighted: to contribute to the fulfillment of the OAS Charter in its four pillars, Democracy, Human Rights, Security and Development, with main emphasis on the Security pillar.
In thanking them for their contribution throughout these years, General Álvarez also asked that everyone continue participating in the events promoted by the IADB to promote security and confidence in the hemisphere, such as the various seminars, workshops, exercises and conferences that are held. will be carried out throughout 2024, on topics such as the participation of women in the development of peace and security, the fight against the proliferation of weapons, the environment, disaster prevention and mitigation, cyber defense, humanitarian demining, maritime security, human rights and international humanitarian law.
Finally, bilateral meetings were held with the delegations of Brazil, Canada, Colombia, Guatemala and Suriname, who were thanked for their support to the IADB in providing personnel and resources, collaboration in the organization of future events, such as the "MECODEX 2024 Exercise" in Peru, participation in academic, training activities and conferences that the Board offers to its member countries, and the exchange of experiences and lessons learned on topics of common interest.
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:
On the occasion of "Mexican Army Day", the IADB was present at a large ceremony held at a military installation in the state of Puebla, which was attended by the President of the Republic of Mexico. A ceremony was also held at the Heroic Military College, attended by the Commanders and representatives of the Armies and Observers.
Finally, the members of the Delegations participated in a cultural excursion to the pre-Hispanic city of Greater Tenochtitlan, in San Juan Teotihuacan, as well as the facilities of the new "Felipe Angeles" International Airport, and in a closing dinner of the inaugural session of the XXXVI cycle of the CEA, where farewell words and exchange of gifts were expressed, concluding the scheduled activities
