Congressman García Participates in the Third Panamerican Congress

Congressman Jesús "Chuy" García (IL-04) participated in the Third Panamerican Congress that took place from Friday, Aug. 21, through Sunday, Aug. 23. The opening day began with a press conference and an opening ceremony at Uruguay's Legislative Palace led by Uruguayan Vice President Carolina Cosse. The gatherings' first closed-door working session started right after.

That afternoon, a public event entitled "This Is America" brought together more than 600 people to the historic Teatro Solís. Former Chilean President Gabriel Boric, former Colombian President Gustavo Petro, U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders, Buenos Aires Governor Axel Kicillof, former Uruguayan Vice President Lucía Topolansky, former Chilean presidential candidate Jeannette Jara and former Chilean government spokesperson Camila Vallejo were among the progressive leaders from across the Americas who shared their visions for the region's future.

On Saturday, delegations continued with additional closed-door working sessions and workshops on emerging issues, including the defense of democracy, the new global economy and cybersecurity.

The Third Panamerican Congress concluded Sunday with a closing session at the MERCOSUR Parliament, or Parlasur, in Montevideo. The parliamentary forum of democratic forces across the Americas brought together more than 150 lawmakers, former presidents, ministers and political leaders from 15 countries. Participants reviewed the outcomes of the working sessions held in Montevideo and announced Brazil as the next host country of the fourth Panamerican Congress in 2027.

The closing session began with presentations of the conclusions from four working groups focused on peace, multilateralism and security; sustainable economic development and regional integration; digital sovereignty and artificial intelligence; and well-being and care for the majority. Lawmakers agreed that the hemisphere's challenges-from financial coercion and weaponized sanctions to concentrated technological power and the erosion of traditional welfare systems-require coordinated regional action rather than fragmented national responses.

Participants from the United States included a Congressional delegation led by U.S. Reps. Pramila Jayapal (D-WA-7), and Jesús "Chuy" García (D-IL-04).

U.S. Rep. Jesús "Chuy" García said members of the U.S. delegation share the Congress' vision.

"Those of us who serve in the United States Congress share the vision of this Panamerican Congress," García said. "I believe winning back the majority in Congress can open space to change U.S. policy toward the region and the Global South. We will center working-class well-being, respect for human rights and respect for the sovereignty of Latin American nations."

David Adler, General Coordinator of the Panamerican Congress, marked the gathering's conclusion:

"The third Panamerican Congress has now concluded. We are very pleased and honored to have brought together 150 leaders and lawmakers from 15 countries across the region around a clear message: We need more dialogue at a hemispheric scale between North and South America, but on a new and more equal footing," Adler said. "Over these three days, we have shown that it is possible to sit down and discuss concrete issues, including peace and security, care and social welfare systems, in terms that reflect the deep bonds shared across the Americas."

Uruguayan lawmaker Inés Cortés also highlighted the Congress' accomplishments.

"This was a very productive Congress," Cortés said. "We had already held preliminary activities and workshops in several countries across the region on some of these issues. Today, we concluded three days of work in which we built a common agenda and developed legislative priorities designed to outlast political swings in executive leadership across the hemisphere. We are advancing along another path by bringing together legislatures from across the Americas."

Jahiren Noriega, an Ecuadorian National Assembly member representing Pichincha, emphasized the importance of the gathering for her country.

"Ecuador is currently experiencing an aggressive militarization policy and deeply unequal security cooperation arrangements between the U.S. and Ecuadorian governments," Noriega said. "The cooperation between the Ecuadorian and U.S. militaries has already resulted in serious human rights violations. In that sense, this Congress is not only a space to expose what is happening in Ecuador but, above all, an opportunity to develop strategies for parliamentary cooperation. By working with U.S. lawmakers, we can bring these abuses to light and press for oversight in the United States. As a region, we are facing a wave of far-right governments that are undermining our rights and our democracy. Organizing to develop strategies of resistance is therefore essential."

Representing Brazil, scholar Larissa Ramina underscored the broader regional significance of the gathering.

"This Congress is especially important because it allows us to sound the alarm publicly about what is happening in Latin America and, at this moment, in Brazil," Ramina said. "It also allows us to draw attention to the many issues discussed here, including artificial intelligence, electoral sovereignty, multilateralism, greater cooperation and the importance of strengthening regional integration."

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