The Inter-American Commission of Women (CIM) of the Organization of American States (OAS) today inaugurated its 40th Assembly of Delegates under the theme "It Is Time to Pay the Debt," at the headquarters of the hemispheric institution in Washington, DC.
"Economic autonomy is a fundamental condition for women to fully develop their life projects, strengthen their public participation, and freely exercise their capacity for decision-making and negotiation in all areas of society," said the Chair of the OAS Permanent Council and Permanent Representative of Costa Rica, Alejandra Solano, during the opening of the event. Ambassador Solano stated that speaking about women's economic rights also means speaking about economic growth, social resilience, productivity, innovation, and democratic stability.
For his part, OAS Secretary General Albert R. Ramdin emphasized that advancing women's economic rights is one of the most urgent areas in which hemispheric cooperation must produce concrete results. "When women are excluded from economic opportunities, the consequences are felt by families, communities, and entire nations," said Secretary General Ramdin, adding that such barriers weaken democracies, exacerbate insecurity, and limit sustainable development.
In her remarks, CIM President Niurka Palacio Urriola called on the delegations to engage during the Assembly in "an open, sincere, vigorous, yet always respectful debate aimed at improving the lives of women across our hemisphere." She also stressed that women's economic rights are essential to strengthening their political participation, enabling them to escape situations of violence, and contributing to the prosperity of nations.
Meanwhile, the Executive Secretary of the CIM/OAS, Alejandra Mora Mora, said that the theme of the Assembly responds to a new regional reality: "that of the woman who spent her entire life providing care work without recognition; the woman who works tirelessly in the informal sector without rest or a pension; the woman who looks at a bank and feels she was never invited to open an account; the woman who sustained her small business on her own until she could no longer continue; and the girl who still sees science, mathematics, and the digital world as places where she does not belong."
The meeting brings together principal delegates to the CIM, ministers and senior authorities from national mechanisms for the advancement of women's rights, representatives of Permanent and Observer Missions, international organizations, cooperation agencies, civil society, and invited experts.
The 40th Assembly of Delegates will address the economic rights of women in the Americas through dialogues on labor inclusion and entrepreneurship, as well as financial and digital inclusion. Its deliberations will seek to advance policies, regulatory frameworks, and cooperation mechanisms that make it possible to settle a debt owed not only to women, but also to democracy, development, and society as a whole.
