A summit meeting is an event that brings together individuals from different sectors to discuss common goals and issues. This type of event is usually organized by an organization with a clear vision of the impact it wants to have in its niche or industry. It may also serve as an opportunity to create connections that could last long after the summit has ended.
Some summit meetings are designed to foster collaboration between different parties such as universities and corporations, or research institutions and government agencies. Others are designed to help shape and align strategic planning across departments. Regardless of the focus, these events aim to achieve specific goals like fostering research and development, advancing findings, proposing future direction for research or policy, and providing space for in-depth discussion that helps participants arrive at practical, actionable insights.
The 34 countries that were invited to the Summit of the Americas in 1994 represented the 35 States of the Organization of American States (Cuba is a member State, but is suspended). This Summit marked the first time that all of the Heads of State and Government of the Americas met, and resulted in a Declaration and Plan of Action. The document established a pact for development and prosperity, which sought to build a community of democratic nations based on the preservation and strengthening of a multilateral system of cooperation, while addressing the current gaps in global governance. It was a critical step toward reinvigorated multilateralism that enhances and enables cooperation on the most important international issues affecting humanity and nature.
