FIT LatAm held its second general meeting of the 2022–2025 period on 23 May, on the eve of the CITEI Congress in Lima. The attendance broke records, with some representatives joining via Zoom and others in person at the CTP headquarters. In a conference room decked with banners and flags, FIT LatAm also welcomed FIT President Alison Rodriguez and FIT Europe Treasurer María Galán, both attending as observers. Gretchen González-Nieto, FIT Treasurer, also participated in the meeting.
FIT LatAm Chair Mary Ann Monteagudo presented the highlights of the year: the makeup of the board, the webinars conducted with FIT’s support, the regional training programme deployed collaboratively amongst associations, FIT LatAm’s annual presidents’ forum, association initiatives backed by the Regional Centre, institutional alliances, the social media team, the broad support for the Viña del Mar Declaration on Artificial Intelligence, and the advice given to emerging associations in Central America. Conferences that associations will be hosting in the coming months and the budget approved by FIT for the current year were also on the agenda.
An ad-hoc Membership Task Force presented its research on a topic of general interest to the region. Recognising the economic and social gap that exists between Latin America and other regions of FIT, this task force, comprising representatives of seven associations, surveyed financial data and submitted an analysis of the associations belonging to the Regional Centre, including variables such as inflation, currency devaluation, and exchange rates. Two major challenges for which a solution is sought are the current difficulties in sending and receiving funds, and the imbalance that often occurs between the membership fees that associations receive from their individual members and the dues that associations pay to FIT.
The group proposed that the dire economic situation of the region be considered in calculating FIT dues based on feasible commitments for associations. Another concern is the need to have more means of payment available to pay FIT dues, with the possibility of making payments in other currencies, such as the US dollar or the euro, which are more accessible in the region. To conclude, the group, with the unanimous vote of all the delegations present, undertook to further elaborate the proposal, so that it can be submitted before the next FIT Statutory Congress.
The atmosphere of camaraderie underlined the great work accomplished by the Regional Centre with the full collaboration of its members. We remain steadfast in our commitment to continuing to advocate for our professions and look forward to our next general meeting in 2025!
Marita Propato, AATI & FIT LatAm
Photos: Renato Vera, CTP
