WHEREAS
the Host Committee, headed by Noticias RCN TV, La República, RCN Radio, NTN 24 and with the support of the newspaper El Universal, did extraordinary work in organizing and holding a Midyear Meeting, contributing to an atmosphere of high level and fraternity in the news industry of our continent
WHEREAS
businessman Carlos Julio Ardila Gaviria of the Organización Ardila Lülle, togthter with his wife Patriicia Ardila, offered at their home a magnificent reception to the members of the IAPA Host Committee
WHEREAS
the following companies offered their generous support to the Midyear Meeting: General, Ecopetrol, Cartagena Refinery, Grupo Argos, Tecnoglass, Bolívar Sí Avanza, Procolombia, the District of Cartagena, the Grupo Puerto of Cartagena, the Chamber of Commerce of Cartagena, as well as the companies Protecmedia, Google Inc, Facebook, Chartbeat, Marfeel, Xinhúa, The New York Times, Brightspot, and the Association of News Media of Colombia, AMI
WHEREAS
the first session of the Midyear Meeting titled "Venezuela Without Chavism: A New Opportunity for the Hemisphere" had the valuable presence of the Secretary General of the Organization of American States (OAS), Luis Almagro; the Colombian Director of Migration, Christian Krüger; the director of Human Rights Watch, José Miguel Vivanco, and also IAPA President María Elvira Domínguez, El País, Cali, Colombia, and in the role of moderator Claudia Gurisatti, chair of the Host Committee
WHEREAS
during the opening ceremony Colombia's President Iván Duque Márquez honored the Midyear Meeting with his presence and a message of support for the mission of the press and journalism in the hemisphere, and afterwards the Colombian head of state signed the IAPA Declaration of Chapultepec
WHEREAS
during the opening ceremony IAPA President María Elvira Domínguez, El País, Cali, Colombia, read the organization's half-yearly report and Claudia Gurisatti, RCN TV, Colombia, offered words of welcome in the name of the Host Committee
WHEREAS
in an act of historical recognition in the fight against impunity in crimes against journalists the government of Colombia held a Public Act of Recognition of International Responsibility for the case of the murder of journalist Nelson Carvajal Carvajal, committed 21 years ago, and the act had the participation of Colombian Vice Chancellor Adriana Mejía, together with Francisco Barbosa, Colombia's Presidential Advisor for Human Rights, Kerry Kennedy, president of Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights, Washington, DC, Edison Lanza, Special Rapporteur for Freedom of Expression of the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights, IAPA President María Elvira Domínguez and Miriam Carvajal, in representation of the family of journalist Nelson Carvajal Carvajal
WHEREAS
in the first panel discussion of Friday afternoon Jason White of Facebook North America gave an interesting presentation of the latest trends regarding digital subscriptions, and the moderator of the session was Luis de Uriarte of Facebook Mexico
WHEREAS
in a session much enjoyed by those present Andrés Mompotes of El Tiempo of Bogotá, Colombia, and Edgar Cuellar of El País, Cali, Colombia, shared experiences of the news media of their country regarding the monetization of contents on digital platforms and Fernando Gómez Carpintero of Protecmedia, Madrid, Spain, was the moderator of this session
WHEREAS
under the title "Empowering News Organizations Through Technological Innovation" Fabiana Zanni of Google Inc. Brazil encouraged news media to take on without fear the challenge of digitalization and in addition enumerated some examples of cooperation between her company and the media
WHEREAS
in Friday's last session the co-founder and president of the portal Rappi, Sebastián Mejía, gave enlightening details for the press on how a digital services company has managed to stand out as a business model based on innovation
WHEREAS
on the Terrace of the Reloj Tower in Amurallada city the Host Committee offered a magnificent welcoming cocktail in which those attending the IAPA Midyear Meeting got together in an atmosphere of happiness and fraternity
WHEREAS
Former IAPA president Enrique Santos Calderón, Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights lawyer Angelita Baeyens and the executive director of the Foundation for Press Freedom (FLIP), Pedro Vaca, took part in the panel discussion "In Search of Justice. How to Overthrow Impunity in Cases of the Murder of Journalists" in which there were discussed in-depth aspects in the fight against impunity, and the moderator was the chairman of the IAPA Committee on Freedom of the Press and Information, Roberto Rock
WHEREAS
former IAPA president Dave Lawrence presented his autobiographical book "A Dedicated Life" in which he speaks of matters of historical introspection, and through a dialogue with the also former IAPA president Alejandro Aguirre the participants were able to share valuable points of the American journalism
WHEREAS
as part of Saturday afternoon's session the Committee on Freedom of the Press and Information paid homage to the team of journalists made up of Javier Ortega, Paúl Rivas and Afrain Segarra of El Comercio of Quito, Ecuador, murdered one year ago by a terrorist group in Colombia, and in this tribute there participated Marco Arauz, managing editor of the newspaper El Comercio, César Ricaurte, Fundamedios, Quito, Ecuador, and María Elvira Domínguez, El País, Cali, Colombia
WHEREAS
thereafter the Midyear Meeting had the opportunity to learn in the voice of independent journalists of Cuba of the difficulties in outsmarting the iron government control of information, and this roundtable was made up of Yoani Sánchez and Reinaldo Escobar, 14 ½, Havana, Cuba, and Henry Constantín, La Hora de Cuba, Camaguey, Cuba, with Roberto Rock as moderator
WHEREAS
at the Adolfo Mejia Theater in the Cartagena Historical Center the executives of the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press, David Boardman and Bruce Brown, received in the name of that organization the 2019 Chapultepec Grand Prize from IAPA President María Elvira Domínguez, El País, Cali, Colombia, and the chairman of the Chapultepec Committee, Roberto Pombo, El Tiempo, Bogotá, Colombia, and in said act Colombian Vice President Marta Lucía Ramírez honored the IAPA with her presence and made a relevant speech, and in an atmosphere of high cultural level and of agreeableness the participants were able to enjoy a night to remember
WHEREAS
for the first panel discussion on Sunday titled "Verification of Data and False News" there was a magnificent panel made up of renowned Colombian journalists Juan Gossaín and Juan Lozano of RedMás and Miguel Ors Villarejo of Actualidad Económica of Madrid, Spain, and the session was moderated by lawyer and journalist Juan Manuel Acevedo, RCN TV, Bogotá, Colombia
WHEREAS
the panel discussion on the difficult situation in Nicaragua brought together journalist Carlos Fernando Chamorro Barrios, editor of the online newspaper Confidencial currently in exile in Costa Rica, and Cristiana Chamorro, who chairs in Managua the Violeta Chamorro Foundation which supports the independent press, and serving as moderator was Douglas Carcache, managing editor of El Nuevo Diario, also of Managua, Nicaragua
WHEREAS
the head of the Colombian company Ecopetrol, Felipe Bayón, spoke of the country's business leadership in a special message to the IAPA Midyear Meeting and the presentation was conducted by Jessica de la Peña, RCN TV, Bogotá, Colombia
WHEREAS
General Óscar Atehortúa, head of the National Police of Colombia, and former Colombian Defense Minister Juan Carlos Pinzón, together with Medellín Mayor Federico Gutiérrez Zuloaga spoke about the challenges for Latin America in the face of the terrorist threat and stressed the need to consolidate the democratic forces regarding this and that this discussion panel was moderated by Jairo Libreros, RCN TV, Bogotá, Colombia
WHEREAS
at Sunday's luncheon the participants were entertained by the editor of El Tiempo, Bogotá, Colombia, Roberto Pombo, who in the role of interviewer held an interesting dialogue with IAPA former president Enrique Santos Calderón regarding his recent book "El país que me tocó"
WHEREAS
the panel discussion "Journalism That Resists" brought together Jean François Fogel, Paris, France, María Teresa Ronderos, Open Society, Bogotá, Colombia, and Carlos Fernando Chamorro, Confidencial, Managua, Nicaragua, putting into perspective the bravery and responsibility of journalism in the face of dangers and threats, and the moderator of the session was Jaime Abello Banfi, president of the Ibero-American New Journalism Foundation (FNPI), Cartagena, Colombia
WHEREAS
three successful professionals in the area of women's sports news, Andrea Guerrero, RCN TV, Liliana Salazar, Win Sports, and Melissa Martínez, Fox Sports, shared the final panel discussion of the Midyear Meeting and spoke of the outstanding role of women in this genre as a reflection of their growing preponderance in the news industry, the moderator of the session was Hassan Nassar, RCN Radio, Bogotá, Colombia
WHEREAS
the Host Committee went to a lot of effort to offer an extraordinary closing dinner at the Cartagena Portuaria Society in which there spoke Bolívar Governor Dumek Turbay Paz, as well as the Caribbean Naval Force Commander, Vice Admiral Andrés Vásquez Villegas, and as part of the unforgettable evening the participants were able to visit the scientific ship ARC
THE IAPA MIDYEAR MEETING RESOLVES
to express on the part of the president, officers, directors and members their deepest feelings of gratitude and appreciation to those persons and companies that contributed to and supported this successful 2019 Midyear Meeting.
