UN General Assembly
2024

It is paradoxical: countries that include Panama on blacklists use our Canal, bid on public contracts, profit from consulting services, and lobby for their firms in our country. This President has taken the firm decision that companies from countries endorsing those lists **will not be allowed** to bid for international contracts in Panama. Nor will they receive our vote in international organisations. While they point fingers, they have enjoyed open access to our market. Their biased vision seeks to uphold a **false stigma** against Panama, which is a **responsible and compliant nation** in global finance. I want the best for my beloved Panama. I did not come to the presidency to ingratiate myself with other countries, but to serve my nation. Speaking of lists: Panama is one of the **very few carbon-negative countries** in the world. That is, we remove more CO₂ from the atmosphere than we emit. Yet, this extraordinary environmental achievement has brought us no benefit.