By Demion McTair
The Community of Latin America and the Caribbean (CELAC) countries and the countries of the European Union have made a joint declaration at the end of the 2023 EU-CELAC Summit.
The forty-one (41) paragraph declaration was endorsed by fifty-nine (59) out of the sixty (60) countries.
“This Declaration was endorsed by all countries with one exception due to its disagreement with one paragraph,” the statement published by the European Union said.
The declaration was made after intense dialogue between the countries before and during the July 17-18 summit in Brussels.
Among other things, the countries agreed that they “will reinforce our dialogue and foster extensive people-to-people contacts. We reaffirm that by working together as sovereign partners, we are stronger and better placed to face the multiple crises and challenges of our times including food insecurity, poverty, inequalities in both regions, supply chain disruptions, and rising inflation.”
“We will also cooperate to mitigate the adverse effects of climate change and environmental degradation, according to the principle of equity and common but differentiated responsibilities and respective capabilities, in the light of different national circumstances,” paragraph three of the declaration stated.
The declaration paves the way for the relationship between CELAC countries and the European Union countries in moving forward and working together for some shared development outcomes.
It also is likely to redound to St. Vincent and the Grenadines’ reputation as a growing diplomatic powerhouse in the global south having led CELAC negotiations to the agreement.
