Executive Summary
The VIII Summit of Heads of State and Government of CELAC, held in Kingstown on March 1, 2024, reaffirmed the region's commitment to peace, democracy, human rights, and multilateralism. Key focuses included economic stability, food security, social cohesion, and sustainable development, emphasizing the eradication of poverty and inequalities. The Summit condemned unilateral sanctions and called for fair international financial systems and enhanced cooperation with global organizations. It highlighted regional integration projects, sustainable energy transition, digital inclusion, and scientific collaboration. Climate change mitigation, biodiversity conservation, disaster risk management, and ocean protection were prioritized, alongside support for vulnerable groups such as indigenous peoples, Afro-descendants, women, youth, and persons with disabilities. The Summit also addressed peace and security, including support for Haiti and Colombia peace processes, nuclear disarmament, and opposition to blockades against Cuba. It endorsed reparatory justice for historical injustices and strengthened South-South and extra-regional cooperation, notably with the EU, China, and Africa. The Summit welcomed Honduras as the incoming Pro Tempore Presidency.
Characteristics
- The VIII Summit of CELAC held in Kingstown on March 1, 2024, focused on strengthening regional integration, democracy, human rights, and multilateralism, emphasizing respect for sovereignty and peaceful dispute resolution.
- The declaration highlights commitments to economic stability, food security, social cohesion, and sustainable development, including combating poverty, corruption, and unilateral coercive measures.
- CELAC prioritizes regional cooperation in health, education, science, technology, energy transition, climate change mitigation, disaster risk management, and peace and security.
- The summit reaffirms support for Afro-descendant and Indigenous peoples' rights, decolonization, reparatory justice, and the fight against transnational organized crime and the world drug problem.
- Emphasis is placed on enhancing South-South cooperation, strengthening relations with extra-regional partners, and promoting regional infrastructure projects for connectivity and integration.
- The declaration calls for fair international financial systems, equitable access to resources, and urgent climate action aligned with the Paris Agreement and Sustainable Development Goals.
Actors
Civil Society Actors
Economic Actors
Political Actors
Research and Innovation Actors
Practical Applications
- Strengthening collaboration with regional and international organizations such as ECLAC, FAO, SELA, OEI, CAF, CDB, and IDB to promote economic growth and development in Latin America and the Caribbean.
- Hosting the 40th session of ECLAC in Peru in October 2024 to propose concrete actions for inclusive and sustainable development.
- Promoting the CELAC Plan for Food Security and Nutrition and the Eradication of Hunger through a working group, in coordination with FAO and ECLAC.
- Reactivating the CELAC working group on family farming and rural development and planning a high-level meeting on family farming.
- Supporting the celebration of the International Year of Camelids 2024 to highlight their contribution to food security.
- Promoting sustainable tourism as a tool for poverty eradication and environmental protection.
- Considering the establishment of a CELAC Working Group to evaluate regional air connectivity data.
- Advancing bio-oceanic corridor projects (railway and road) linking multiple countries to enhance regional integration, trade, investment, and tourism.
- Promoting the development, modernization, and efficiency of the Paraguay-Parana Waterway for regional integration and market access.
- Coordinating and promoting peaceful nuclear applications in health, food security, agriculture, radiological technology, nuclear education, environmental applications, and energy, including regional and international symposiums.
- Sustaining the CELAC Health Self Sufficiency Plan to strengthen local and regional production and distribution of vaccines, medicines, and critical supplies, and exploring the establishment of a Regional Regulatory Agency for health regulation.
- Participating actively in amendments to the International Health Regulations (2005) and the WHO Agreement on Pandemic Prevention, Preparedness, and Response.
- Implementing national policies to promote balanced diets, physical activity, disease prevention, and equitable access to quality health services.
- Building national educational data and indicators to support public policies, especially in literacy, digitalization, and training for education professionals.
- Evaluating a framework for mutual recognition of diplomas and professional qualifications among CELAC member states to promote labor mobility.
- Establishing the Latin American and Caribbean Centre for Development of Science, Technology and Innovation, headquartered in Caracas, Venezuela.
- Reactivating CELAC Energy Ministers meetings to promote regional energy integration and infrastructure projects, including regional electricity interconnection respecting national sovereignty.
- Promoting digital cooperation to bridge digital divides, foster digital inclusion, innovation, and meaningful connectivity.
- Supporting the negotiation of an international regulatory framework on artificial intelligence within the UN.
- Enhancing cooperation to combat the criminal misuse of information and communication technologies, including cyber-attacks and disinformation.
- Strengthening regional capacities and cooperation for peaceful exploration and use of outer space, including through bilateral agreements and the Latin American and Caribbean Space Agency (ALCE).
- Renewing EU-CELAC high-level political dialogue and cooperation, including the implementation of the Global Gateway Initiative for sustainable development financing.
- Establishing a consultative coordination mechanism between extra-regional partners and CELAC for continuity and follow-up of high-level meetings and ministerial gatherings.
- Holding the CELAC-China Forum in 2024 to mark its tenth anniversary as a cooperation and exchange platform.
- Engaging with the African Union to strengthen economic, cultural, and social interaction, including establishing a technical working group for collaboration.
- Supporting the Climate Adaptation and Comprehensive Natural Disasters Response Fund (FACRID) to implement projects for disaster prevention, response, and recovery.
- Promoting coordination among regional and subregional organizations for disaster risk prevention, mitigation, and management.
- Supporting the operationalization of the loss and damage fund at COP28 to assist vulnerable developing countries.
- Supporting the implementation of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework.
- Supporting the Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee for a legally binding international instrument on plastic pollution.
- Promoting the right to safe drinking water and sanitation, including ecosystem restoration and integrated water resource management.
- Supporting the CARICOM Ten Point Plan on Reparatory Justice, including healthcare, education, psychological rehabilitation, and economic and cultural development.
- Implementing the Youth Council of Latin America and the Caribbean by selecting country representatives and developing policy axes.
- Supporting the activation and work of the CELAC Afro-descendant Working Group and the Permanent Forum on Peoples of African Descent.
- Promoting the protection and respectful use of traditional and ancestral knowledge of Indigenous, Afro-descendant, and native peoples, including fair and equitable benefit sharing.
- Strengthening cooperation mechanisms to combat transnational organized crime, corruption, illicit drug trafficking, trafficking in persons, migrant smuggling, illegal mining, environmental crimes, money laundering, and related crimes.
- Enhancing cooperation and technical assistance in legislative and judicial matters, investigation techniques, asset recovery, and victim protection and reparation.
- Supporting the peace process in Colombia and dialogues with armed actors including the ELN.
- Supporting political dialogue and social peace efforts in Haiti, including implementation of UN Security Council resolution 2699 (2023) for security conditions and free elections.
- Supporting gender equality and women’s empowerment through the formation of a regional policy working group.
- Advancing care policies based on equality, universality, and social and gender co-responsibility.
- Promoting the full, meaningful, and equal participation of women in leadership and peace processes.
- Taking measures to guarantee effective access to human rights for persons with disabilities and removing barriers to their exercise.
Resulting Commitments
- Peru will host the 40th session of the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC) in October 2024.
- Call upon developed country partners to fulfill their official development assistance (ODA) commitments to achieve the target of 0.7% of ODA/GNI and 0.15 to 0.20% ODA/GNI to least developed countries.
- Support the CELAC Plan for Food Security and Nutrition and the Eradication of Hunger, aligned with the Sustainable Development Goals and Agenda 2030.
- Commit to working to strengthen synergies between the CELAC FSN Plan 2030 and the Brazilian G20 Presidency's proposal for a Global Alliance against Hunger and Poverty, focusing on SDG 1 (poverty eradication) and SDG 2 (zero hunger).
- Commit to implement the Youth Council of Latin America and the Caribbean, selecting representatives of each country and developing its axes.
- Welcome the operationalization of a loss and damage fund at COP28 in Dubai (2023) and urge new, additional, predictable, and adequate contributions to the fund.
- Welcome the holding of the 16th Conference of the Parties of the Convention on Biological Diversity (COP16) in Cali, Colombia in 2024.
- Welcome the High Level Event on Ocean Action “Immerse in Change” in San José, Costa Rica on June 7 and 8, 2024.
- Welcome the 30th Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC COP 30) in Belem, Brazil between November 10 and 21, 2025.
- Commit to promote and advance nuclear disarmament as a priority objective, aiming for total prohibition and elimination of nuclear weapons in a transparent, verifiable, irreversible manner and within a clearly defined timeframe.
- Commit to deepen cooperation mechanisms in the fight against transnational organized crime, corruption, illicit drug-trafficking, illicit trafficking of firearms, trafficking in persons, migrant smuggling, illegal mining, money laundering, and other related crimes.
- Support the formation of a regional policy working group focused on gender equality and women’s empowerment in the region.
- Commit to implement policies and programs aimed at promoting awareness on balanced diet, physical activity, prevention of risk factors, equitable access to quality health services, early detection and treatment of diseases, and addressing social determinants of health.
- Commit to scale up efforts to provide access to sufficient, continuous, safe, clean, accessible drinking water and sanitation for all, without discrimination, respecting national legislation and sovereignty.
- Commit to strengthen and enhance the role of CELAC as a mechanism for political integration and dialogue with extra-regional partners.
- Commit to consolidate collaboration with the European Union in equal conditions and mutual respect, including the implementation of the Global Gateway Initiative.
- Reaffirm commitment to the full and effective implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and its 17 SDGs, recognizing current setbacks and the need for urgent action.
- Commit to reactivate the meetings of CELAC Energy Ministers and promote regional infrastructure projects for energy integration and electricity interconnection respecting national policies and capacities.
- Commit to promote an open, non-discriminatory, transparent, equitable, and rules-based multilateral trading system under the WTO and to continue WTO negotiations aiming for concrete results.
- Commit to reactivate the working group on family farming and rural development of CELAC and hold a high-level meeting on family farming.
- Commit to continue supporting the Afro-descendant Working Group of CELAC and implement its Declaration dated November 29, 2022.
- Commit to continue working within International Law to ensure Latin America and the Caribbean is a territory free of colonialism and colonies.
- Commit to implement the Youth Council of Latin America and the Caribbean, selecting representatives of each country and developing its axes, considering youth issues in public policy design.
- Commit to strengthen cooperation and technical assistance in legislative and judicial matters, exchange of experiences, investigation techniques, recovery and repatriation of assets, and protection and reparation to victims in the fight against transnational organized crime.
Technical Details
Scope
Regional
Lead Country
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines (VCT)
Policy & Strategic Alignment
EU Policy Alignment
SDG Alignment
Beneficiary Groups
Farmers
Farmers & Primary Producers
Indigenous Communities
Indigenous Peoples & Ethnic Groups
Persons with Disabilities
Persons with Disabilities
Gender Equality Initiatives
Women & Girls
Women in Tech
Women & Girls
Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)
Digital Infrastructure Investment
CELAC member states and partners
Digital Infrastructure