VI CELAC Summit in Mexico: More regional cooperation needed on climate change, health crises – President Ali

…supports creation of regional disaster fund

President Dr Irfaan Ali, who is presently in Mexico City for the Community of Latin America and Caribbean States (CELAC) meeting, has called for more inter regional cooperation on issues such as climate change, future public health crises and food security.

The President, as well as Foreign Affairs Minister Hugh Todd, are among the leaders from around the region attending the VI CELAC Summit being hosted by Mexico. During his address to the meeting, the President noted the importance of the region coming together on critical issues.
These issues include national disasters, health crises and climate change, all of which have a disproportional effect on the region. Ali also noted that the region will be given an opportunity to speak with a collective voice and to stress the urgency of increased and readily available financing for mitigating against climate change at the 26th Session of the Conference of Parties (COP26) of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC).
He urged the regional bloc to “agree on a systemic approach in dealing with issues of the environment and climate change beginning at COP26. This approach must speak to issues of access to resources, to address adaption and mitigation, establishment of a climate vulnerability fund, and fulfilment of pledges made by the developed world.”

When it comes to health crises, of which the region is in the midst at the moment, Ali called for the region to pool its resources to better tackle these crises in the future. He noted that this would also reduce the region’s dependency on the developed world. According to President Ali, Latin America and the Caribbean must never again be victims of vaccine nationalism.
“Latin America and the Caribbean must never again become victims of vaccine nationalism. We must combine our scientific resources – intellectual and material – so as to reduce our dependence on the developed world in the event of future health crises, and to chart a common strategy to exit this pandemic and bolster economic recovery,” the President said.
Another measure he expressed support for was a voluntary fund that would facilitate regional disaster response. He also urged more cooperation on issues of climate change and food security. When it comes to the latter, Ali emphasised its importance to post-pandemic recovery.
“The socio-economic impact of the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic will have lasting and lingering impacts. While our Region is expected to experience overall economic growth this year, the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean has warned that the health crisis has worsened the structural problems of low investment, unemployment, inequality and poverty.”
“Food security is vital to the post-COVID-19 recovery.  Guyana strongly supports regional cooperation in ensuring a more food secure Latin America and the Caribbean,” President Ali also said, while expressing hope that the recommendations in the Food Security under the COVID-19 pandemic report presented by the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations (FAO), and in the CELAC Food Security, Nutrition and Hunger Eradication Plan 2025, will soon be given effect.
CELAC is a regional bloc of 33 Latin American and Caribbean states. The organisation aims to unite all of the Latin American and Caribbean states in order to strengthen the political, social and cultural integration of the region. A total of 17 countries from the bloc were represented by their Heads of State at the summit.
The Guyanese delegation arrived in Mexico on Friday and were welcomed by Foreign Minister of Mexico Marcelo Ebrard. During the event, President Ali met with a number of leaders including the host President of Mexico, Andrés Manuel López Obrador.
After attending the CELAC Summit, President Ali will travel to New York to attend the 76th Session of the UN General Assembly next week. The 76th session of the UN General Assembly (UNGA 76) opened on Tuesday, September 14, 2021. On that day, Abdulla Shahid of the Maldives was sworn in as the General Assembly President and he opened the 76th session.
Meanwhile, in President Ali’s absence, Prime Minister, Brigadier (Ret’d) Mark Phillips was on Friday sworn in to perform the functions of the President of Guyana by Chancellor of the Judiciary (ag), Justice Yonette Cummings-Edwards. The ceremony took place at the Cheddi Jagan International Airport (CJIA), moments after President Ali departed the country on his official duties. (G3)