The president of Guatemala, Bernardo Arévalo, arrived in Panama on Tuesday to participate on Wednesday in the inauguration of the second edition of the International Economic Forum Latin America and the Caribbean 2026, dubbed the 'Latin American Davos,' alongside seven other regional leaders. Arévalo arrived at Panama Pacific Airport shortly before 7:00 p.m. local time (12:00 a.m. Wednesday GMT) and was received by Panamanian Foreign Minister Javier Martínez-Acha in an official ceremony. The Guatemalan leader will participate in the forum's opening act, organized by the Development Bank of Latin America and the Caribbean (CAF) and the Panamanian government, which has the president of Brazil, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, as guest of honor. In addition to Arévalo and Lula, the event will feature the presidents of Panama, José Raúl Mulino; Bolivia, Rodrigo Paz; Colombia, Gustavo Petro; Ecuador, Daniel Noboa; the prime minister of Jamaica, Andrew Holness, and the elected president of Chile, José Antonio Kast. On Wednesday afternoon, the Guatemalan president will be received at the Las Garzas presidential palace by his Panamanian counterpart for a bilateral meeting. The forum, which will run until Thursday and is expected to be attended by 2,500 people, will debate the main challenges and opportunities of Latin America and the Caribbean and reflect on the region's most urgent challenges to build, through dialogue, solutions that promote growth, inclusion, and competitiveness, CAF said.
