On behalf of Dr. the Honourable Keith Christopher Rowley, Prime Minister of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago, Senator the Honourable Dr. Amery Browne, Minister of Foreign and CARICOM Affairs participated in the Eighth Summit of Heads of State and Government of the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC) in Kingstown, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines on March 01, 2024.
CELAC is a regional bloc of 33 Latin American and Caribbean countries which aims to strengthen the political, social and cultural integration of the region through knowledge sharing, technical cooperation and capacity building activities, and collaboration to manage crises affecting the region. All members countries were represented at the Summit, including at the level of Head of State in the case of Bolivia, Brazil, Honduras, Colombia, Cuba, Guyana, Suriname and Venezuela.
The Summit, which was presided over by Dr. the Honourable Ralph Gonsalves, Prime Minister of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines and Pro Tempore President of CELAC, celebrated the tenth anniversary of the Declaration of Latin America as a Zone of Peace, allowed for open discussion on situations confronting CELAC member countries and welcomed the Argyle Declaration adopted on 14 December 2023 in Saint Vincent and the Grenadines involving the Presidents of Guyana and Venezuela.
The event also allowed for interaction with the European Union, the People’s Republic of China and India which were invited to address the Community as extraregional partners.
Heads of observer organisations present at the Summit included Antonio Guterres, Secretary General of the United Nations; Dr. Stacy Richards-Kennedy, Regional Manager for the Caribbean at the Development Bank of Latin America and the Caribbean (CAF); and Rodolfo Sabonge, Secretary of the Association of Caribbean States (ACS).
In his address to the VIII Summit, Minister Browne underscored the commitment of Trinidad and Tobago to CELAC’s intra-regional cooperation, particularly in the areas of agriculture, development financing, climate change, disaster preparedness and management, food security, health, gender, energy security, travel connectivity, and international peace and security.
Following the adoption of the Kingstown Declaration, along with Special Declarations on a number of issues directly affecting CELAC countries, Trinidad and Tobago was among the countries endorsing a Statement on Israeli actions in Occupied East Jerusalem and the rest of the Occupied Palestinian Territory.
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines was the first CARICOM Member State to hold the Pro Tempore Presidency of CELAC. The Summit ended with a ceremony to hand over the CELAC Presidency to the Republic of Honduras.
Participation in the Summit of Heads of State and Government also presented the opportunity for Trinidad and Tobago to strengthen bilateral relations with CELAC member countries, with Minister Browne engaging in bilateral discussions with Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Guatemala, Mexico, Paraguay and Peru.
