Cartagena de Indias marks the 25th anniversary of these summits, and it is the first summit to be held following the Cadiz-Panama-Veracruz renewal cycle which has led to a revitalised, more efficient and effective Ibero-American Summit that brings it closer to the people.
On this occasion, the Spanish delegation was headed up by H.M. the King, accompanied by the Minister for Economic Affairs and Competition, Luis de Guindos, and the State Secretary for Cooperation and for Ibero-America, Jesús Gracia. Spain thus maintains its firm commitment to the Ibero-American Conference through its decisive support, accompanied by a significant financial contribution.
The slogan chosen for the 25th Summit was "Youth, entrepreneurship and education". The Heads of State and Government adopted, among others, a series of documents focused on the goals of the summit: The Declaration of Cartagena de Indias: Youth, Entrepreneurship and Education; the Action Programme, the Resolution of Cartagena de Indias on the Ibero-American Conference and the Ibero-American Youth Pact.
Particularly noteworthy is the Ibero-American Youth Pact which reflects the 21 commitments taken on in this area which was chosen as the cornerstone of the 25th Ibero-American Summit, with the aim of making progress towards the full social inclusion of young people, offering more and better opportunities for those who are the future of our societies.
As well as attending the summit meetings, the Spanish delegation also met with the President of Colombia, Juan Manuel Santos, and held a working lunch with the Mexican delegation and a working breakfast with the country delegations from Central America, the Dominican Republic and the Secretary-General of SICA.
In parallel to the summit, H.M. the King also took part in the closing session of the 11th Business Forum, in the award of the Enrique Iglesias Prize to the Peruvian business leader, José Graña, at the Spanish Cooperation Training Centre, the meeting of the 22 Ibero-American universities that were the authors of a Manifest, presented to and accepted by the summit, and visited the exhibition entitled "Blas de Lezo and the Defence of Cartagena de Indias".
