On 26 November 2015, the Sovereign Order of Malta was admitted as Extra-Regional Observer to SICA, the Central American Integration System. The economic, cultural and political organization that unites Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, Panama, Belize and the Dominican Republic allows the Sovereign Order of Malta – already present with its own associations and diplomatic missions in these countries – to participate actively in regional medical and sanitation programmes and to intervene more effectively during natural disasters. Thanks to its role, the Order can help to fight poverty and to improve the living conditions of the central American populations and defend human rights.

The agreement was signed in Antiguo Cuscatlán, headquarters of the SICA General Secretariat in the Republic of El Salvador, by the Secretary General of SICA, Victoria Velásquez de Avilés, and by the Vice President of the Order of Malta’s Government Council, Juan Tomas O’Naghten y Chacón.

As an observer, the Order does not have the right to vote but has the right to speak in all the debates involving SICA and has access to information and negotiation channels on motions for resolution, on policies, programmes and regional projects.

On 15 February 2016, in the Central American Integration System headquarters, Fra’ Matthew Festing, the then Grand Master of the Sovereign Order of Malta, met the Secretary General de Aviles. The meeting in the SICA headquarters took place within the framework of the Grand Master’s State Visit to El Salvador.

The Sovereign Order of Malta’s entry as observer in the Central American Integration System represents an important instrument for
offering its experience in natural disaster prevention and assistance programmes.