Pan American Day and Pan American Week, 2021

Proclamation 10179 of April 13, 2021

Pan American Day and Pan American Week, 2021

By the President of the United States of America

A Proclamation

One hundred and thirty-one years ago, our hemisphere
formed the International Union of American Republics--
the oldest regional international organization in the
world, and the precursor to the modern-day Organization
of American States. On this Pan American Day and Pan
American Week, we reaffirm the strength of our regional
community, celebrate the democratic principles that
unite us, and resolve to work together to overcome the
common challenges before us.

So many of the greatest challenges facing us today are
not confined to our respective national boundaries. The
global COVID-19 crisis has laid bare persistent
inequalities in our societies and structural weaknesses
in our economies. Climate change poses an urgent
national security threat that is hurting communities
throughout the region today and jeopardizing future
generations. We are witnessing a humanitarian crisis
and mass displacement in Venezuela that is among the
worst in history. Violence and endemic corruption,
particularly in Central America, are causing desperate
people to uproot their lives and families in hopes of a
better future elsewhere.

No nation can address today's challenges alone or hide
from them behind walls. A secure, economically
prosperous, and democratic hemisphere is overwhelmingly
in the economic and national security interest of the
United States and the entire Pan American region.
Moreover, it is within our capacity to reach that
future if we rally together and unite around principled
and democratic leadership--anchored in the rule of law.

The people of our hemisphere want governments that are
accountable to voters and deliver real benefits: good-
paying jobs that allow hard-working people to provide
for their families, education for their children,
security in their communities, and a future where equal
opportunity and fundamental human and political rights
are guaranteed to all people.

This year, as we mark the 20th anniversary of the
Inter-American Democratic Charter, each of our
governments has an obligation to renew, promote, and
defend that groundbreaking commitment we made--that all
people who call the Americas home have a right to
democracy. The Democratic Charter remains at the core
of our hemispheric union, working through the
Organization of American States, to advance a bold and
determined vision of a region whose governments honor
and respect democratic values, human rights,
fundamental freedoms, and the inherent dignity of each
individual. During this Pan American Day and Pan
American Week, we celebrate our unity and cooperation--
and resolve to work together to overcome the challenges
ahead of us and build a better world.

NOW, THEREFORE, I, JOSEPH R. BIDEN JR., President of
the United States of America, by virtue of the
authority vested in me by the Constitution and the laws
of the United States, do hereby proclaim April 14,
2021, as Pan American Day and April 11 through April
17, 2021, as Pan American Week. I urge the Governors of
the 50 States, the Governor of the Commonwealth of
Puerto Rico, and the officials of the other areas under
the flag of the United States of America to honor these
observances with appropriate ceremonies and activities.

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this
thirteenth day of April, in the year of our Lord two
thousand twenty-one, and of the Independence of the
United States of America the two hundred and forty-
fifth.