Nuestra región latinoamericana está representada por la ODCA, cuya Presidenta es Mariana Gómez del Campo, actual Vicepresidenta del IDC-CDI. La Organización Demócrata Cristiana de América (ODCA) es una organización internacional integrada por partidos políticos, grupos y asociaciones de América del Norte y América del Sur que promueven los principios del humanismo cristiano. Afiliada a la Internacional Demócrata de Centro (IDC-CDI), es socio regional del Partido Popular Europeo y de organizaciones regionales de partidos demócrata-cristianos de Asia y África. Cada uno de los partidos miembros es diferente, y a veces tienen visiones distintas de la propia democracia cristiana. Algunos de los partidos miembros están en el gobierno de su país, otros en el gobierno de coalición y otros no están en el gobierno.
The origins of ODCA date back to April 23, 1947, during a meeting in Montevideo (Uruguay), a group of politicians from Argentina, Brazil, Chile, and Uruguay agreed on the need to create an international organization of Christian Democrats in Latin America. Later they were joined by representatives of the Christian Democrats of Bolivia and Peru. At the Montevideo meeting, an “International Section” was created, which included Manuel Vicente Ordonez (Argentina), Trisao de Ataide (Brazil), Eduardo Frei Montalva (Chile), and Dardo Regules (Uruguay). The declaration adopted by the participants in the Montevideo meeting on April 23, 1947, proclaimed the goal of the new organization to create a movement on a supranational basis that would contribute to the achievement of real political, economic, and cultural democracy based on the principles of Christian humanism, respect for the human person and the spirit of community development, opposing totalitarianism.
On July 25-31, 1949, a second meeting was held at the Catholic Club of Montevideo with the participation of representatives from Argentina, Brazil, Colombia, Chile, Peru, and Uruguay, which were joined by politicians from Ecuador and Bolivia.
On July 29, 1961, the World Christian Democratic Union (now the Centrist Democratic International) was founded in Santiago, Chile. Since the founding of the Christian Democratic International, the Christian Democratic Organization of America has been a part of it and a regional organization.
At the XVI Congress on October 8, 2000, in Santiago, Chile, the organization’s current strategy was formulated, aimed at increasing the participation in its work of humanist and centrist parties, whose views are close to Christian democracy.
At an extraordinary congress in Panama City (Panama) on May 7, 2011, the Charter was approved, which currently regulates the activities of the organization.
