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J. Ceballos-Rodriguez: Address to Peace Summit 2023, Session VII-A
Written by Dr. Jorge Alberto Ceballos Rodriguez, Criminal Justice and International Humanitarian Lawyer, Panama
Thursday, May 4, 2023
Address to Peace Summit 2023
May 2-5, 2023
One hundred and fifty-six years ago, the great Mexican patriot Benito Juarez said: "Respect for the rights of others is peace." This truth remains unchanged.
I will begin expressing my deepest respect and admiration to all the participants in recognition that you are agents of change and committed to achieving the ultimate dream of "world peace."
With the understanding of the hard work that still lies ahead of us to achieve world peace, it is more necessary than ever to keep promoting values, attitudes and behaviors that reject and condemn all forms of violence, abuse, discrimination, and intolerance.
At the same time, we must intensify all efforts to establish and utilize dialogue, negotiation, and conciliations as the primary tools to reach peace accords and understandings between people and countries in conflict.
All this must be done without forgetting or impairing the individual and collective rights that are fundamental to the countries and nations we represent.
Panama, the beautiful country from where I come from has been blessed by God. Not only do we have a diverse nature with multiple fauna and flora, but a singular geographic location. Because of this, we are home for people from all over the world, people of other races and religions and those who have different views on politics, economics, and social issues.
Panama has welcomed these people as its own respecting their religion and their beliefs and has helped them to grow and flourish in a peaceful environment.
There is still much to be done, and Panama keeps trying to do better and to reconcile more so that we may all live together in prosperity and peace.
Taking advantage of our unique geographical position, the Panama Canal helps the international community by connecting the Atlantic and Pacific oceans in world trade.
The Panama Canal is an 82 km waterway that is utilized by the world’s commerce and is key to global trade. Due to its construction in the narrowest region of the American continent, approximately 14,000 ships transit each year between the Atlantic and Pacific oceans. The opening of the Canal in 1914 permanently reshaped the global supply chains.
But Panama is much more than just the Canal. With a population of 4.4 million, Panama has a rich history and culture. The country has a primary role in helping with the development and growth of Central America and the Caribbean. The country is expected to have an economic growth of 5.7% in 2023 and 5.8% by year 2024 with an inflation rate of just 2.5%.
With its skyscrapers glittering in the intensely bright sun, the center of modern Panama City resembles a miniature Manhattan. Panama has the most modern and successful international banking center in Latin America. The International Banking Center (IBC) offers investors over 67 banks from more than 32 countries around the world, especially from Asia, Europe, and the Americas.
The country is also welcoming a new breed of financial institutions and is increasingly on the radar of non-banking finance companies searching for a regulatory framework suited to their needs.
Tourism in Panama represents one of Panama’s main activities. The main areas of tourism in the country focus on business tourism, beaches, health, and trade. Most of the tourists come from the United States, Canada, Europe, Central America, and South America. Tourism generates profits of approximately US$1,400 million annually. This figure has increased rapidly since the millionth tourist arrived in 2004.
Panama is in the process of modernizing its judicial system with new methods to prosecute crimes, resolution of civil and commercial conflicts, and expediting the judicial process. There are international problems such as money laundering, drug and human trafficking and illegal immigration that the country is aggressively confronting with support from the international community.
A free press is essential for the enrichment and development of a society. We are proud to say that the media in Panama are privately owned and enjoys editorial freedom. The population is well informed through the press, cable and TV networks and social media.
To conclude, Panama works every day to promote a culture of peace as the cornerstone for peaceful living. The government, community, private sector, and other sectors are working together to establish education programs that guarantee peaceful coexistence and social growth.
We are working alongside foundations to provide assistance to displaced groups coming from Venezuela, Colombia, Haiti and other countries, by providing legal counsel, promoting educational and recreational activities, and supporting and coordinating access for obtaining shelter, medical attention, medicine, food and clothing.
There is much to do and much to gain, but we do not have any doubt that with your support, with initiatives like UPF, we will succeed, and world peace will become a reality.
Thank you and God bless you.
To go to the Peace Summit 2023 Schedule page, click here.