OEA - CIDI - Resolución CIDI CITUR GT 2 doc 2

INTER-AMERICAN COUNCIL FOR INTEGRAL DEVELOPMENT

INTER-AMERICAN COMMITTEE ON TOURISM OEA/Ser.W/XIII.8

CIDI/CITUR/GT-2/doc.2/26

Working Group to Support Tourism 27 February 2026 Development in Afro-Descendant Communities Original: Spanish that Honor, Preserve, and Value African Heritage and its Contributions December 10, 2025

VIRTUAL

REPORT ON THE VIRTUAL MEETINGREPORT ON THE VIRTUAL MEETING

1. INTRODUCTION This document contains the report on the virtual meeting of Working Group 2 of the InterAmerican Committee on Tourism (CITUR), “to Support Tourism Development in Afro-Descendant Communities that Honor, Preserve, and Value African Heritage and its Contributions,” held on December 10, 2025.

2. BACKGROUND The virtual meeting was convened to define actions, assign responsibilities, and establish dates for completion of the activities set out in the 2025-2028 work plan of CITUR

3. PARTICIPANTS The following delegations took part in the meeting:

Paraguay Angelita Duarte de Melillo Minister of Tourism of Paraguay Chair of CITUR Vice Chair of the Working Group Rosa Sanabria Director of International and Institutional Relations

SENATUR

Javier Ramirez

SENATUR

Maricarmen Couchonnal

SENATUR

Andres Ortiz

SENATUR

Lara Chamorro

SENATUR

Costa Rica Alberto López General Manager, Instituto Costarricense de Turismo Vice Chair of CITUR Vice Chair of the Working Group2 Honduras Tatiana Siercke de Zelaya International Relations Manager, Instituto Hondureño de Turismo Vice Chair of CITUR Chair of the Working Group Juan Carlos Montoya Alternate Representative of Honduras to the OAS Guatemala Harris Whitbeck General Director, Instituto Guatemalteco de Turismo (INGUAT) Verónica Sajbin Velásquez, Technical Advisor on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, INGUAT Paola Rosenberg Advisor, INGUAT Rosa Maria Salguero Alternate Representative of Guatemala to the OAS

Harris Whitbeck General Director, Instituto Guatemalteco de Turismo (INGUAT) Verónica Sajbin Velásquez, Technical Advisor on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, INGUAT Paola Rosenberg Advisor, INGUAT Rosa Maria Salguero Alternate Representative of Guatemala to the OAS Ecuador Mateo Estrella Vice Minister of Tourism Carlos Tapia Vice Ministry of Tourism Mónica Sánchez Alternate Representative of Ecuador to the OAS Panama Daisy Trujillo Bonaga National Tourism Authority of Panama Andrea Nuñez Alternate Representative of Panama to the OAS Argentina Johana Giampietro Director of International and Institutional Tourism Relations Secretariat of Tourism and Environment of Argentina Georgina Visintín Secretariat of Tourism and Environment of Argentina3 Bolivia Rocio Azurduy Alternate Representative of Bolivia to the OAS Chile Maria Casals Undersecretariat of Tourism Pamela Muñoz Undersecretariat of Tourism Mexico Vanessa Cuevas Assistant Manager of Company Administration SECTUR Socorro Guadalupe Jorge Cholula Alternate Representative of Mexico to the OAS Jamaica Cristina Edwards, Director – Tourism Trade and International Relations Ministry of Tourism Peru Diego Miranda Directorate of Facilitation and Tourism Culture Ministry of Foreign Trade and Tourism Roberto Arámbulo Directorate of Facilitation and Tourism Culture Ministry of Foreign Trade and Tourism Kelva Morales, Alternate Representative of Peru to the OAS Dominican Republic Madelin Luna Alternate Representative of the Dominican Republic to the OAS Saint Vincent and the Grenadines Marsena Ballantyne Alternate Representative of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines to the OAS Uruguay Carmen Gonzalez Alternate Representative of Uruguay to the OAS4

Special guests Inter-American Development Bank Tenisha Brown-Williams Senior Tourism Specialist

FEDESUD

Maximiliano Mauvecin Argentina Ana Paula CETUR, Brazil Marco Mercado CABOTUR, Bolivia Jaime Guazzini Chile George Washington University Edward Hall GW International Institute of Tourism Studies Executive in Residence for Indigenous Economic Development and Tourism Alix Collins Center Administrator International Institute of Tourism Studies The George Washington University School of Business

UNESCO

Alexander Langlois Alliances Coordinator UNESCO Regional Office for Central America, Mexico and Colombia (San José)

OAS General Secretariat: Barbara Kotschwar

Director, Department of Economic Development Richard Campbell Head of the Culture and Tourism Section, Department of Economic Development Santiago Noboa Specialist, Culture and Tourism Section, Department of Economic Development5 OPENING SESSION Richard Campbell, Head of the Culture and Tourism Section, opened the meetings and welcomed the participants. Remarks by the Chair of CITUR Mrs. Angelita Duarte de Melillo, Minister of Tourism of Paraguay, welcomed the participants and shared her vision of the meetings and expected results. Remarks by the OAS General Secretariat Mrs. Barbara Kotschwar, Director of the Department of Economic Development of the OAS General Secretariat, reported on the objectives of the working groups and the topics to be considered at the meetings. PROCEEDINGS Tatiana Siercke de Zelaya, International Relations Manager of the Honduran Institute of Tourism, in her capacity as Vice Chair of CITUR and Chair of the Working Group, presided over the meeting and welcomed the participants. The meeting agenda was adopted. The meeting proceeded to elect Costa Rica and Paraguay as Vice Chairs of the Working Group. The Chair of the Working Group presented the working table for the Group, which is based on the 2025–2028 Work Plan of CITUR (table attached). She pointed out that several organizations could collaborate in promoting tourism in Afrodescendant communities, including UN Tourism, the CTO, the IDB, SITCA, and George Washington University. The delegations then shared their comments.

the 2025–2028 Work Plan of CITUR (table attached). She pointed out that several organizations could collaborate in promoting tourism in Afrodescendant communities, including UN Tourism, the CTO, the IDB, SITCA, and George Washington University. The delegations then shared their comments. The Chilean delegation inquired whether other institutions, such as cultural authorities, could be invited and was informed that they could. George Washington University, as coordinators of the Indigenous Tourism Collaborative of the Americas, expressed its commitment to support the working group on Indigenous tourism and indicated that it could share its experience with the working group on Afro-descendant tourism. They described some of their activities. The IDB shared several of its activities in support of Afro-descendant communities, highlighted the work it supports in Brazil and the carnival festivities in the region, and reiterated its support for the work of the Working Group.6 The UNESCO Office for Central America and Colombia indicated that its work had a special focus on Indigenous and Afro-descendant communities and expressed UNESCO’s commitment to coordinate and cooperate with the CITUR working groups. CLOSING SESSION Ms. Siercke summarized the discussions held during the meeting and expressed her satisfaction with the level of support that the Working Group was receiving. The Minister of Paraguay closed the discussions of the Second Working Group and opened the discussions of the Third Working Group.