The Community of Latin American and Caribbean States 6th Summit begins in Mexico City

Americas, News September 20, 2021 , by IRIA No Comments

The Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC) 6th Summit began on September 18 in Mexico City, with a focus on promoting unity in the continent and strengthening the region’s negotiation capacity against economic blocs.

During the meeting, CELAC countries agreed on lines of action and proposals for a plan for self-sufficiency in health matters in Latin America and the Caribbean.

The plan was prepared at the request of the Government of Mexico and developed by the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC).

The strategic document “The Plan for self-sufficiency in health matters in Latin America and the Caribbean” focuses on strengthening capacities to produce and distribute vaccines and medicines in the region’s countries and reducing external dependence.

The organization also gave the United Nations regional commission a mandate to further actions for its effective implementation.

During the opening ceremony, Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador called on countries to “put an end to lethargy and propose a new and vibrant relationship between the peoples of America.”

Mexican president stated during the summit that Latin American and Caribbean countries should aim to form a bloc like the European Union.

“We should build in the American continent something similar to what was the economic community that was the beginning of the current European Union,” Obrador said.

Obrador urged the United States and Canada to give vaccines to the regional countries that have been unable to protect their people from COVID-19 due to a lack of economic resources.

Peru’s new president Pedro Castillo, Bolivian President Luis Arce, Cuba’s Miguel Diaz-Canel, and Venezuela’s Nicolas Maduro, joined a dozen presidents and prime ministers who participated in the summit.

The majority of member states are also developing a plan which will the region be self-sufficient in food and alimentation by modernizing the agricultural machinery and equipment.