On May 9 and 10, the 2024 Hemispheric Security Conference took place, organized by TAEDA together with the Jack D. Gordon Institute for Public Policy at Florida International University in Miami, attended by senior public officials, prominent academics, and private sector actors from various countries across the continent.
On the occasion of this ninth edition of the conference, the panels and discussion tables included presentations and discussions on economic security, the role of the private sector, innovation and technology, cyber defense and cybercrime, the internationalization of organized crime, emerging threats in cyberspace, environmental security, energy and strategic mining, and the new challenges in security and defense facing the Western Hemisphere.
For the opening of the conference, speakers included the Chief of Southern Command, General Laura Richardson, and the Director for the Western Hemisphere of the US National Security Council and presidential advisor for Latin America, Dan Erikson, who addressed the issue of regional-scale migration, the internationalization of transnational organized crime, and Washington’s relations with the various countries of the continent. “The goal is not to work for Latin America, but with Latin America,” said Erikson, referring to President Joe Biden’s vision. He also recalled the current president’s historical ties with the region since his time as a senator, which he later consolidated during his eight years as Vice President of Barack Obama. “Relations are based on trust, institutional capacity, and institutional development,” stated General Richardson, who highlighted the importance of this region as a source of food and energy for the entire world.
Other notable speakers who shared their views on practices affecting hemispheric security included the President of Paraguay, Santiago Peña Palacios; the Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency, Rafael Grossi; and the CEO and founder of Infobae, Daniel Hadad, among others.
Under the theme “Latin America and the Caribbean Go Global: The Region in the Context of Global Security,” the ninth edition of the Hemispheric Security Conference opened multiple topics of debate and facilitated contact between experts and representatives from the public and private sectors across the continent.