Guatemalan President Bernardo Arévalo de León defended on Wednesday in Panama the need for a robust regional dialogue to navigate a changing global order. "The global and international order we took for granted is in flux, it is changing," he warned, assuring that in this scenario of uncertainty "the only thing that will serve us to shape that world that has lost its contours will be dialogue." During the inauguration of the II International Economic Forum Latin America and the Caribbean, Arévalo stated that the region must redefine its role in an international scenario where traditional contours have been lost. "We need to resort to dialogue to understand the transformations and guide them," he affirmed before his counterparts. The Guatemalan ruler detailed that his Administration has implemented a reform program "of unprecedented magnitude" focused on combating corruption and rescuing institutions. He highlighted the approval of key laws such as the one on road infrastructure, competition, and a profound reform to the public-private partnership regime to attract foreign investment in transport, energy, and water. Arévalo emphasized that Guatemala continues to grow driven by public investment and a record dynamism of remittances, which exceeded $25,000 million in 2025. In the context of strategic actions to continue boosting Guatemala's development, the ruler outlined four priorities for his management: public transport, universal access to the electricity grid, improvement of the road network, and investment in human capital to consolidate a "shared prosperity." The forum, considered the 'Latin American Davos', is organized by the Development Bank of Latin America and the Caribbean (CAF) and the Government of Panama. In this second edition, which has the president of Brazil, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, as guest of honor, eight rulers and some 2,500 people are meeting to debate solutions on inclusive growth and the region's urgent challenges.
