The Americas Roundtable Celebrates Biennial

The response by the local community to The Americas Roundtable dialogue series has been tremendous,” said the president of The Americas Roundtable, Jim Polsfut. “Upon release of tickets to the general public, more than half of the main floor seats in the Ellie Caulkins Opera House have already been sold, amounting to more than 6,000 tickets.”

The Americas Roundtable will take place on July 6, 7, 8, 12, and 28 in the Ellie Caulkins Opera House, located within the Denver Performing Arts Complex in downtown Denver. The Roundtable series is a primary component of the Biennial of the Americas. Timed with the bicentennials in 2010 of Mexico, Argentina, Chile, and Colombia as well as the centennial of the Organization of American States, the Biennial of the Americas serves to promote cohesion and collaboration among the 35 countries of the Western Hemisphere.

The Americas Roundtable is comprised of seven distinct sessions – on trade, education, energy and climate change, philanthropy, poverty reduction, health, and women in leadership, as well as a Summit of Former Heads of State and a Bilateral Summit of Ambassadors.

Among confirmed participants in The Americas Roundtable series are: U.S. Cabinet officers including Sec. Hilda Solís of Labor and Sec. Ray LaHood of Transportation; 14 former heads of state including President Alejandro Toledo of Peru and President Vicente Fox of Mexico; members of the diplomatic core including Canadian Ambassador Gary Doer, U.S. Ambassador to the Argentina Vilma Martinez, and Panamanian Ambassador Jaime Alemán;

Senior government officials from the Western Hemisphere including Colombia’s Minister of Education Cecilia María Vélez and the Vice President of Ecuador Lenin Voltaire Moreno Garcés; and directors of international organizations including Secretary General José Miguel Insulza of the Organization of American States and President Luis Alberto Moreno of the Inter-American Development Bank.

Actor and Founder of Hollywood Unites for Haiti Jimmy Jean-Louis as well as Nely Gálan, TV producer of successful shows such as “The Swan,” also will take part, along with numerous other leaders representing business, academia, media, and non-profit organizations.

Scheduled for July 12, the Summit of Former Heads of State has received particular attention as one of the events of The Americas Roundtable. “Never before in the United States have so many former presidents from the Western Hemisphere appeared together,” Polsfut said, “numbering 14 former heads of state in all. Their presence in Denver provides what is truly a once in a lifetime opportunity for the general public,” Polsfut added.

In November of last year, the former presidents delivered at the Ibero-American Summit held in Portugal a formal Social Agenda, complete with recommendations on 16 pivotal social issues. In Denver on July 12, the former presidents will discuss that Agenda for the first time in the United States.

Tickets for The Americas Roundtable are available on www.TicketHorse.com and are priced at $12 for general public admission with discounts for seniors, students and members of the military.

For more information, visit BiennialoftheAmericas.org.