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INAUGURATION
The 11th Plenary Assembly of ParlAmericas began with a video message from Chilean President Michelle Bachelet. Host parliamentarians from Chile and ParlAmericas representatives also shared words of welcome.
"We have diverse realities but we share one certainty: the certainty that the development required for our societies will only be achieved through sustainable economic development that includes greater justice, equity and inclusion, that diverts gender inequalities and respects the culture of our Indigenous peoples, that views diversity as a strength and not a threat, that takes on combating climate changes and its effects. But above all, that is undertaken regionally as a collective task."
Michelle Bachelet, President of Chile
"I wish to extend my warmest welcome …to each of you joining us here today, parliamentarians from 25 countries who have travelled to our country, as well as to the observers and special guests. I would like to point out to you that Chile is perhaps one of only a few countries … that have two congresses. The one we are in right now is the Santiago congress ... inaugurated in 1876."
Ignacio Urrutia Bonilla, Member of the Chamber of Deputies of Chile and ParlAmericas board member