{"id":263,"date":"2015-11-26T11:00:45","date_gmt":"2015-11-26T17:00:45","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/elsalvadorembassy.orderofmalta.int\/?post_type=news&#038;p=263"},"modified":"2025-06-11T11:04:54","modified_gmt":"2025-06-11T17:04:54","slug":"order-of-malta-joins-sica-extra-regional-observer","status":"publish","type":"news","link":"https:\/\/elsalvadorembassy.orderofmalta.int\/en\/news\/order-of-malta-joins-sica-extra-regional-observer\/","title":{"rendered":"The Sovereign Order of Malta Joins SICA as Extra-Regional Observer to Support Regional Development"},"featured_media":0,"menu_order":0,"template":"","class_list":["post-263","news","type-news","status-publish","hentry","news_tags-sica"],"acf":{"hidden_news":"no","evidence":"yes","focus_on":"no","breaking":"yes","news_cover":{"id":244,"url":"https:\/\/elsalvadorembassy.orderofmalta.int\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/80\/2025\/06\/SICA_03.jpg"},"news_content":"<p>On 26 November, the Sovereign Order of Malta was officially admitted as an Extra-Regional Observer to the Central American Integration System (SICA), an organization that brings together Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, Panama, Belize, and the Dominican Republic.<\/p>\n<p>This new status will enable the Order of Malta \u2013 already active in these countries through its associations and diplomatic missions \u2013 to take part in regional healthcare and sanitation programmes and contribute more effectively to disaster response efforts. It will also strengthen its role in combating poverty, defending human rights, and improving living conditions in the region.<\/p>\n<p>The agreement was signed at SICA\u2019s headquarters in Antiguo Cuscatl\u00e1n, El Salvador, by Secretary General Victoria Vel\u00e1squez de Avil\u00e9s and Juan Tom\u00e1s O\u2019Naghten y Chac\u00f3n, Vice President of the Government Council of the Order of Malta.<\/p>\n<p>During the signing ceremony, the Order\u2019s Ambassador to El Salvador, Maria Emerica Cortese, stated: \u201cThis agreement will allow the Order to contribute its experience, especially that of Malteser International, in disaster prevention and emergency assistance\u2014crucial in a region often hit by natural catastrophes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>As an observer, the Order will not hold voting rights but will participate in debates and have access to information and negotiations concerning resolutions, policies, programmes, and regional projects.<\/p>\n","news_gallery":"yes","news_gallery_elements":[{"id":242,"url":"https:\/\/elsalvadorembassy.orderofmalta.int\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/80\/2025\/06\/SICA_01.jpg"},{"id":246,"url":"https:\/\/elsalvadorembassy.orderofmalta.int\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/80\/2025\/06\/SICA_04.jpg"}],"news_excerpt":"On 26 November, the Sovereign Order of Malta was officially admitted as an Extra-Regional Observer to the Central American Integration System (SICA)."},"news_categories":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/elsalvadorembassy.orderofmalta.int\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/notizie\/263","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/elsalvadorembassy.orderofmalta.int\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/notizie"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/elsalvadorembassy.orderofmalta.int\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/news"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/elsalvadorembassy.orderofmalta.int\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/notizie\/263\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/elsalvadorembassy.orderofmalta.int\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=263"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}