The Permanent Mission of Panama to the Organization of American States (OAS), with the support of the Ministry of Culture and the Academia Panameña de Literatura Infantil y Juvenil, today inaugurated the "Children's and Youth Reading Corner" at the OAS Columbus Memorial Library in Washington, DC.
During the ceremony, the President of the Academia Panameña de Literatura Infantil y Juvenil, Irene Guerra de Delgado, said "our children's literature, like many others in the Latin American region, was born with our independence and illuminated by ideas." She added, "We are aware of the speed with which the future pursues us. And the future is the new generations."
For his part, the Secretary General of the OAS, Luis Almagro, emphasized that the initiative "reaffirms our commitment to promoting reading and equitable access to knowledge." He also thanked the Permanent Mission of Panama "for this generous contribution and for being a key ally in strengthening the Columbus Library. A child who reads is a child who dreams, learns, and prepares for the future."
Finally, the Permanent Representative of Panama, Ana Irene Delgado, added that "This literary genre deserves recognition and a space within the great libraries of our hemisphere, and that is precisely what we are materializing today."
The creation of the Reading Corner aims to foster the habit of reading from childhood and youth, bringing children and young people closer to literary works that reflect the culture, history, and identity of the Americas. During the ceremony, the Mission of Panama donated 50 children's books, adding to the 15 already donated by El Salvador, through its Permanent Representative, Wendy Acevedo.
The event was attended by the Minister of Culture of the Republic of Panama, María Eugenia Herrera, and representatives of the diplomatic corps accredited to the OAS.
Reference: FNE-144279
