CELAC Summit: PM Phillips underscores peace, climate action, regional cooperation

Prime Minister, Brigadier (Ret’d), Mark Phillips, reaffirmed Guyana’s commitment to regional integration, sustainable development, and peace during his address at the IX Summit of Heads of State and Government of the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC), earlier today in Tegucigalpa, Honduras.
The Summit, held under the theme “Commitment to Peace, Dialogue and Latin American and Caribbean Unity”, brought together leaders from across the hemisphere to address shared economic and environmental challenges, while charting a path toward deeper cooperation.
During his remarks, the Prime Minister reaffirmed Guyana’s unwavering commitment to regional integration and cooperation, emphasising the shared responsibility of CELAC member states to work toward sustained economic advancement, continued development, peace, security and social stability.
“As countries sharing the same geopolitical space, we have the solemn responsibility to chart a way forward that will enable us to create a more equitable, secure, resilient, and sustainable future for our people.”
He referenced Guyana’s overarching position of peaceful coexistence with all of its neighbours, including Venezuela, but noted that the country would continue to be guided by international law, especially with any territorial dispute.
“Guyana has fulfilled its commitments under the Argyle Declaration (signed in December of 2023 with Venezuela), and we remain committed to the pursuit of good neighbourliness, peaceful co-existence and the unity of Latin America and the Caribbean”.
He however, stressed that “Our sovereignty and territorial integrity remain seriously threatened”.
The Prime Minister also highlighted the threat of climate change. He described global warming as an “existential crisis” and reiterated the urgency of global commitments to facilitate a balanced and commensurate global response that addresses mitigation, adaptation, loss and damage, and the urgent need to achieve a trajectory of 1.5 degrees Celsius and below.
To this end, he welcomed the region’s central role in the global climate dialogue.
“We welcome that COP 30 would come to our region later this year, with Brazil as its host. Our region is home to the Amazon, which, through its standing forests, has one of the highest absorption capacities of greenhouse gases. It is hoped that the Amazon’s vast capacity can inspire the honouring of tangible commitments by the international community to effect the level of change required globally.”
He emphasised the importance of aligning efforts to address climate change with initiatives that promote renewable energy, noting that many parts of the region are still energy deficient.
Affordable and clean energy, he stated, “continues to be important for the improvement of the lives of our people. Embarking upon solutions, such as energy transition, requires strategic and systemic changes at the national, regional and international levels.”
In using Guyana as an example, he highlighted that the country is pursuing energy security and sustainability through a diverse, clean energy approach and asserted that the Government is dedicated to providing affordable, reliable energy to all citizens.
Guyana’s Low Carbon Development Strategy 2030, he explained, aims to advance economic and social development while tackling climate change issues through a varied energy portfolio, including hydropower, solar, and wind sources. Clean energy and efficiency remain central components of Guyana’s ongoing energy transformation efforts.
Prime Minister Phillips listed food and nutrition security as a high priority across the region. He pointed to the efforts of CARICOM, noting that “As a subregion which is a net importer of food, it has been working consistently towards boosting the production and quality of its agricultural produce at an affordable price to effect a sustainable import replacement programme.”
To achieve this, he highlighted CARICOM’s quest to reduce its food import bill by 25 percent by 2030.
The Prime Minister also addressed the humanitarian crisis in Haiti and echoed the call for a return to peace and democratic governance, while he expressed condolences and solidarity with the Dominican Republic on its roof-falling disaster, which has claimed scores of lives.
Meanwhile, he commended President Iris Xiomara Castro Sarmiento for convening and hosting the summit and extended his support to Colombia as President Gustavo Petro assumes CELAC’s leadership role for the 2025–2026 period.