    [United States Statutes at Large, Volume 132, 115th Congress, 2nd Session]
    [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

    Proclamation 9725 of April 12, 2018

    Pan American Day and Pan American Week, 2018

    By the President of the United States of America

    A Proclamation

    On Pan American Day and during Pan American Week, we commemorate the
    128th anniversary of the First International Conference of American
    States, which concluded on April 14, 1890, and paved the way for the
    establishment of the Organization of American States in 1948. As the
    Organization of American States celebrates the 70th anniversary of its
    founding this year, the United States reaffirms our commitment to
    partner with the nations of the Americas to advance security, economic
    and energy prosperity, and democratic governance throughout the
    hemisphere.

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    This week, Vice President Pence will join with leaders in the Pan
    American region to address corruption and develop strategies to defeat
    transnational criminal organizations in our hemisphere. During the
    eighth Summit of the Americas, the United States will look to strengthen
    the region's collective commitment to representative democracy, to
    government accountability, and to confront threats to freedom.
    Tragically, the core tenets of free society have been abandoned in
    Venezuela and Cuba. Our hemispheric community of democracies must
    support the Venezuelan people and their right to have a voice in their
    government through free, fair, and internationally validated elections.
    Furthermore, the United States will not cease in its efforts to secure a
    future of freedom, peace, and prosperity for the people of Cuba.
    Under my Administration, the United States will continue to be a steady,
    enduring partner to Latin American and Caribbean countries. The United
    States will continue bilateral discussions on efforts to disrupt the
    organized crime organizations and trafficking routes that harm our
    citizens and drive irregular migration. My Administration supports
    ongoing regional security coordination through programs such as the
    Merida Initiative in Mexico, the Central American Regional Security
    Initiative, and the Caribbean Basin Security Initiative, as well as
    regular meetings, including our Strategic Dialogue to Disrupt
    Transnational Criminal Organizations with Mexico. At the heart of our
    engagement is the belief that by working together we can achieve a more
    prosperous and secure future for our region.
    As we observe Pan American Day and Pan American Week, let us capitalize
    on this momentum and build on our common history with a mutual purpose
    to achieve hemispheric peace and prosperity.
    NOW, THEREFORE, I, DONALD J. TRUMP, President of the United States of
    America, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the Constitution and
    the laws of the United States, do hereby proclaim April 14, 2018, as Pan
    American Day and April 8 through April 14, 2018, as Pan American Week. I
    urge the Governors of the 50 States, the Governor of the Commonwealth of
    Puerto Rico, and the officials of the other areas under the flag of the
    United States of America to honor these observances with appropriate
    ceremonies and activities.
    IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this twelfth day of
    April, in the year of our Lord two thousand eighteen, and of the
    Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and forty-
    second.
    DONALD J. TRUMP