The Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC)[a] is a bloc of Latin American and Caribbean states, consisting of 33 countries, and has five official working languages.[1][2] It is seen as an alternative to the Organization of American States (OAS), and includes all OAS member states (except the United States and Canada) plus includes the nation of Cuba.[3] Initially proposed on February 23, 2010, at the Rio Group–Caribbean CommunityUnity Summit,[4][5][6] CELAC is seen as the successor of the Rio Group and the Latin American and Caribbean Summit on Integration and Development (CALC).[7] CELAC was created to deepen Latin American integration and to reduce hegemony within the politics and economics of the region. The date of creation was on December 3, 2011, in Caracas, Venezuela, with the signing of the Declaration of Caracas.[8]
The immediate predecessor of the CELAC is the Rio Group. Formed in 1986, it gathered 24 Latin American and Caribbean countries around summits to cooperate regional policy issue independently of the United States.[9]
In 2008, the Calderón administration of Mexico proposed the creation of the Latin American and the Caribbean Union (Spanish: Unión Latinoamericana y del Caribe, ULC). The proposal was formalized on 27 March 2009 at Rio Group meeting. At the initiative of Mexico, the XXI Rio Summit and the II CALC summit were held together on 22–23 February 2010 in Playa del Carmen, Mexico. The joint summit was named the Latin American and Caribbean Unity Summit and the 33 attending states decided to create the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC), which would be formally established in 2011.[13]
The announcement prompted debate and discussion across Latin America and the Caribbean about whether it was more beneficial to have close ties with the U.S. and Canada or to work independently.[16]
An editorial in Brazil's Estadão newspaper said, "CELAC reflects the disorientation of the region's governments in relation to its problematic environment and its lack of foreign policy direction, locked as it is into the illusion that snubbing the United States will do for Latin American integration what 200 years of history failed to do."[14]
CELAC's inaugural summit was due to be held in mid-2011, but was postponed because of the ill-health of Hugo Chávez, president of the host nation, Venezuela. The summit was instead held on December 2 and 3, 2011, in Caracas.[17] It primarily focused on the global economic crisis and its effects on the region. Several leaders, including presidents Cristina Fernández de Kirchner, Dilma Rousseff and Juan Manuel Santos, encouraged an increase in regional trade, economic development, and further economic cooperation among members in order to defend their growing economies.[18]
Chávez, and other leaders such as Rafael Correa and Daniel Ortega, expressed hope that the bloc would work to further Latin American integration, end U.S. hegemony and consolidate control over regional affairs.[18] Chávez, citing the Monroe Doctrine as the original confirmation of U.S. interference in the region, openly called for CELAC to replace the OAS: "As the years go by, CELAC is going to leave behind the old and worn-out OAS." Correa called for a new human rights commission to replace the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights. Other leaders argued that the organisation should be used as a tool to resolve regional disagreements and uphold democratic values, but not as a replacement of the OAS.[18] Santos stated that he would like to see dialogue within the group over whether existing counter-drug regulations should be revised.[18] The president of the Latin American Parliament (Parlatino) said he expects that Parlatino will become the main legislative institution of CELAC.[19] Amongst the key issues on the agenda were the creation of a "new financial architecture," sanction for maintaining the legal status of coca in Bolivia and the rejection of the Cuban embargo by the U.S.[20]
United States President Barack Obama's senior adviser on Latin America, Daniel Restrepo, informed reporters from Miami that the U.S. government would "watch and see what direction CELAC takes".[21]
Brazil decided to suspend its participation in the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States in January 2020 under the administration of Jair Bolsonaro.[22] Following the 2022 Brazilian general election, newly elected president Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva signalled his intention to rejoin the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States,[23] and effectively did so in the first days of his administration.[24]
In June 2023, CELAC recognized the Latin American and Caribbean character of the island of Puerto Rico and “calls on the UN General Assembly to examine the question of Puerto Rico in its entirety and in all its aspects, and rule on this matter as soon as possible”..
The pro tempore presidency is the main representative of the CELAC. The troika is composed by the current pro tempore presidency, its predecessor, its successor and the presidency of the CARICOM.[25]
Forums
The regional body has joint forums that work with external global entities, including China[26][27] and the European Union.
ESO exhibition area at the CELAC–EU summit in Santiago
The EU-LAC Foundation chose CELAC to be the main organization representative of the relationship between European and Latin American and Caribbean countries.
During the summit, the region was declared a "peace zone". After three days and with the approval of participating representatives, a document with 83 focus points was created. It emphasized that, despite cultural and regional differences, unity between the participating countries is necessary in order to create progress. "Unity and the integration of our region must be gradually constructed, with flexibility, with respect to differences, diversity, and the sovereign right of each of our countries to choose our own forms of political and economic organization" stated the document. It also states which countries have been developing the best and how they are doing it in order for them to be a model for other countries.
The issue of poverty was widely discussed. Cuba's Raúl Castro pointed out that throughout Latin America and the Caribbean, people wanted a fairer distribution of wealth, access to affordable education, employment, better salaries, and the eradication of illiteracy. He argued that CELAC countries can work together, support each other, to create new plans and solutions for these problems.[34]
Twelve members are in South America. Portuguese-speaking Brazil suspended its membership in January 2020, alleging that the organization failed to "protect democracy" in member states. The decision was taken during the presidency of Jair Bolsonaro,[35] who was himself accused of attacking Brazil's democratic institutions.[36] Following the 2022 Brazilian general election, newly elected president Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva signalled his intention to rejoin.[23] After taking office Lula reinstated Brazil's membership into the organization.[37]
Indicators
This section's factual accuracy may be compromised due to out-of-date information. Please help update this article to reflect recent events or newly available information.(December 2024)
The following table shows various data for CELAC member states, including area, population, economic output and income inequality, as well as various composite indices, including human development, viability of the state, rule of law, perception of corruption, economic freedom, state of peace, freedom of the press and democratic level.
a CELAC total used for indicators 1 through 3; CELAC weighted average used for indicator 4; CELAC unweighted average used for indicators 5 through 13.
b Data from CIA World Factbook for 2014.
c Data refer to 2014.
Note: The colors indicate the country's global position in the respective indicator. For example, a green cell indicates that the country is ranked in the upper 25% of the list (including all countries with available data).
↑ Gooding, Kerri. "IVCC encouraging bilingualism and cultural integration". The Barbados Advocate. Advocate Co. Archived from the original on May 12, 2012. Retrieved December 26, 2011. However, at present much of the integration occurs at the governmental, political and policy level as opposed to the personal, individual level, hence Tutor Jamal Henry added his voice to the plea by the Ambassador to have more persons embracing the culture and learning Spanish. CELAC comprises 33 nations making up an estimated population of 600 million people with five official languages. United and integrated the countries of CELAC can be powerful, "together [the 33 nations of CELAC] are the number one food exporter on the planet," further commented Ambassador Febres.
↑ writer, Staff (2024). "Latin American and Caribbean regional organisations". Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade. www.dfat.gov.au. Barton, Australia: Government of Australia. Retrieved January 4, 2025. The Community was a Mexican initiative announced in 2012.CELAC's membership is the same as the OAS except that it excludes Canada and the United States and includes Cuba.
1 2 (in Portuguese)writer, Staff (February 25, 2010). "A retórica da integração"[The rhetoric of integration] (in Brazilian Portuguese). Brazil: Estadao. Archived from the original on March 1, 2010. Retrieved January 8, 2025.
↑ (in Spanish)Zibechi, Raúl (February 26, 2010). "El bloque latinoamericano y caribeño"[The bloc Latin-American and Caribbean] (in Mexican Spanish). Mexico: La Jornada. Retrieved January 8, 2025. The creation of the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States is part of a global and continental shift, characterized by the decline of U.S. hegemony and the rise of a group of regional blocs that form part of the new global balance.
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Xiomara Castro 
