Against the backdrop of more than two years of institutional gridlock, regional leaders from Central America and the Caribbean have reached a landmark consensus to fill the top leadership post of the Central American Integration System (SICA), marking a critical step forward for regional cooperation. An extraordinary virtual summit of SICA heads of state and government, hosted under the Pro Tempore Presidency of the Dominican Republic, saw Costa Rican ambassador Lina Eugenia Ajoy Rojas selected to serve as the bloc’s Secretary General for the 2026–2030 four-year term.
Presiding over the gathering was Dominican Republic President Luis Abinader, joined in leadership by the country’s Foreign Minister Roberto Álvarez. This meeting holds notable significance as the first full gathering of SICA heads of state since 2023, and it resolves a leadership gap that opened over two years ago, a gap which had severely constrained the organization’s ability to carry out core administrative work and advance long-term strategic priorities across the region.
What makes this appointment particularly historic is the trailblazing status of the new Secretary General: when Ajoy takes office on August 11, 2026, she will become both the first Costa Rican national and the first woman to hold the top post in SICA’s 35-year history. Founded in 1991, SICA counts eight member states across Central America and the Caribbean: Belize, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, Panama, and the Dominican Republic. Its core mission centers on advancing cross-border integration, sustaining regional peace, strengthening democratic institutions, and driving inclusive sustainable development for the entire region.
The Dominican Republic, which is holding the bloc’s rotating Pro Tempore Presidency for the first half of 2026, took a leading role in brokering the cross-member consensus needed to confirm the appointment. This current term marks the fourth time the Dominican Republic has held the rotating SICA presidency, having previously served in 2014, 2018, and 2022, a track record that underscores the country’s longstanding commitment to fostering productive regional dialogue and shoring up the institutional foundation of Central American integration.