CELAC: The Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC, its Spanish acronym) is an alliance of states and a regional intergovernmental mechanism for dialogue, consultation, political agreement and regional cooperation. CELAC has played an import role in the promotion of health, energy security, food security, environment, and social inclusion. It currently consists of all 33 countries mainly located in Latin America and the Caribbean. All member states comprise a total area of 7.88 million square miles, 20.41 million km² and 651.13 million people.
Formation: CELAC owes its existence to Brazil and Mexico initiatives during 2008–2010. The Rio Group (1986) of 24 Latin American and Caribbean nations was the immediate predecessor of the CELAC and sought regional policy decisions independently of the United States.
The Lula administration hosted the first summit of Latin American and Caribbean Countries on Integration and Development (CALC) in December 2008. Mexico proposed the Latin American and the Caribbean Union; Rio Group formalized that on 27 March 2009. Mexico hosted the XXI Rio Summit and the II CALC summit together during 22–23 February 2010 as joint Latin American and Caribbean Unity Summit of 33 attending states. The Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC) was conceived.
The inaugural 2-3 December, 2011 Summit in Caracas, Venezuela launched CELAC. The Declaration of Caracas emphasized regional unity, peace, political cooperation, and socio-economic development of all member countries respecting their political, economic, social, cultural and ideological differences.
CELAC triggered debates across the region about the benefits of close ties with U.S. and Canada or working independently. CELAC focused on global economic crisis, its region-wide effects, regional trade, economic development, and economic cooperation among members. Brazil could host its first CELAC Summit in 2018 to draft a regional integration project for 33 nations.
CELAC deliberates on topics of interest to Latin American and Caribbean nations such as education, social development, culture, transportation, infrastructure, and energy, nuclear disarmament, climate change, and narcotics. It conducts regular dialogue with extra-regional partners like the European Union, the African Union, ASEAN, China, and India. Argentina is its pro tempore president since 2022.
CELAC counterweighs OAS: CELAC’s focus on Latin American and Caribbean countries excludes other countries and territories in the Americas, Canada andthe United States; and the overseas territories in the Americas of France, the Netherlands (Dutch Caribbean), Denmark (Greenland) and the United Kingdom (British Overseas Territories).
CELAC was created to reduce American influence on the politics and economics of Latin America and promote regional integration, hence viewed as an alternative to the Organization of American States (OAS). The OAS was founded by United States and 21 other Latin American nations to counter the potential Soviet influence in the region. CELAC is a counterweight to the US and Canada dominated “integrationmechanisms” like the OAS and the Free Trade Area of the Americas, which favor North American interests at the expense of Latin America and the Caribbean countries.
Brazil Quitsin 2020: Former far-right Brazilian President Bolsonaro decided on January 16, 2020, to withdraw from CELAC. Brazil reasoned: “CELAC has not shown results in the defense of democracy or in any other area. On the contrary, it gave voice to non-democratic regimes such as Venezuela, Cuba, and Nicaragua.” CELAC had historically demanded the end of US blockade of Cuba.
Brazil’s Rejoining Decision: The Workers’ Party won the 2022 Brazilian general election and its leader Lula da Silva was elected president. Lula was sworn in on January 1 and within four days announced to member countries on January 5 to rejoin the CELAC after a three-year break. Argentina received the letter on January 12 formalizing Brazil’s return. Lula confirmed to attend the VII Presidential Summit of Heads of State and Government of the CELAC in Buenos Aires on January 24.
Brazil described the return as “an indispensable step towards the recomposition” of “diplomatic heritage and the country’s full reinsertion into the international community,” and an essential step in “repositioning Brazil” in the international stage.
Brazil rejoined all political and technical entities of CELAC fully and immediately to “restore Brazilian diplomacy” and rebuild bridges with South American countries as promised during electoral campaign. The Brazilian Foreign Ministry announced the country’s full and immediate reincorporation into all political and technical instances of the CELAC mechanism.
Coup in Brazil: The victory of leftists in Brazilian election angered the rightist supporters of Bolsonaro who refused to accept Lula’s victory. They invaded the centers of all three branches of government (Congress, the presidential palace and the Supreme Court building) in Brasilia. Latin American leaders have since condemned the attempted coup as anti-democratic and violent. Shrugging off rightist mob invasion, Lula confirmed his travel to Buenos Aires on January 23.
Summit Agenda: The CELAC summit agenda in Argentina included the attempted coup in Brasilia, the assassination of Prime Minister in Haiti, upheavals in Peru, Bolivia and the electoral process in Venezuela. At the end of the Summit, CELAC s signed the “Buenos Aires Declaration,” through which the member countries pledged to deepen integration, climate action, democratic institutions, and multilateralism. CELAC member states also celebrated the participation of Lula. “It is important to highlight that we are a peaceful region, which repudiates extremism, terrorism and political violence,” the Brazilian President said weeks after the violent demonstrations by Bolsonaro supporters that took place at the headquarters of the Legislative, Executive and Judicial branches of Brasilia.
Rise of Left? The veteran leftist leader Lula, 77, was a co-founder of CELAC back in 2010. Bringing Brazil back into CELAC for this reunion is one of Lula’s initial moves towards change. Successive victories of left-leaning presidents in Argentina, Chile, Colombia and now Brazil have revived CELAC.
Leftists project CELAC as a global and continental shift given the decline of U.S. hegemony and rise of regional blocs for a new global balance. They hope that CELAC will deepen Latin American integration, end U.S. hegemony and consolidate control over regional affairs. They cite Monroe Doctrine to prove U.S. interference in the region. Leftists dream that “As the years go by, CELAC is going to leave behind the old and worn-out OAS.” Some leftists proposed a new human rights commission to replace the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights!
Rightists criticize CELAC as disorientation of the region’s governments to its problematic environment, lack of foreign policy direction, and illusion that snubbing America will deliver Latin American integration. America adapts to “watch and see what direction CELAC takes”. The EU-LAC Foundation chose CELAC as representative of the relationship between European and Latin American and Caribbean countries.
Ganging up of regional leaders on CELAC—a leftist platform— denotes further spread and consolidation of communist ideology in Latin American region.
Photo Credit : AP Photo