The Summit of the Americas is the only meeting of all 35 leaders of the countries in the Americas. Since its inception, the Summit has served as the region’s highest-level process for cooperation on increasing economic competitiveness, fostering growth and development, improving regional and citizen security, and promoting democracy and human rights. The Eighth Summit of the Americas will be held in Lima, Peru on April 13-14. This year’s theme is “Democratic Governance against Corruption.”

The United States hosted the first Summit of the Americas in 1994 and has utilized the Summit process to build hemispheric coalitions, secure commitments, and formalize processes for regional cooperation that support U.S. foreign policy objectives. In addition to the 12 international organizations that support the Summit process, substantive roles for private sector and civil society stakeholders have increased.