SICA appoints first female Secretary General during summit led by President Abinader

Santo Domingo.- President Luis Abinader, accompanied by Foreign Minister Roberto Álvarez, presided over an Extraordinary Meeting of Heads of State and Government of the Central American Integration System (SICA), during which Costa Rican Ambassador Lina Eugenia Ajoy Rojas was appointed Secretary General of the regional bloc for the 2026-2030 term.

The virtual summit, convened under the Dominican Republic’s Pro Tempore Presidency of SICA, marked the first meeting of heads of state within the organization since 2023. The appointment ends a vacancy that had existed for more than two years and had limited the full functioning of the institution’s administrative and strategic operations.

With the decision, Ambassador Ajoy becomes both the first Costa Rican and the first woman to lead SICA since the organization was established in 1991. Her four-year term will begin on August 11, 2026.

The Dominican Republic, which holds the rotating presidency of SICA from January to June 2026, played a key role in facilitating the consensus needed to fill the position. This marks the fourth time the country has assumed the Pro Tempore Presidency, following previous terms in 2014, 2018, and 2022, reinforcing its active role in promoting regional dialogue and institutional strengthening.

Founded in 1991, SICA brings together Belize, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, Panama, and the Dominican Republic with the goal of advancing regional integration, peace, democracy, and sustainable development across Central America and the Caribbean.