The recent summit of the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (Celac) held in Bogotá on Saturday highlighted the bloc's fragility. The event was marked by low attendance from heads of state and increasing rifts among regional countries regarding Cuba and Venezuela.
Only four leaders attended the tenth edition of this meeting in Bogotá: Colombia's host Gustavo Petro, Brazil's President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, Uruguay's Yamandú Orsi, and Burundi's Évariste Ndayishimiye, representing the African Union. Other countries sent lower-level delegations, as reported by the Spanish newspaper El País.
During the summit, the pro tempore presidency of the organization was transferred from Colombia to Uruguay for the next year.
Regional Challenges and Cooperation
Orsi underscored one of the few consensuses the bloc still holds: that Latin America and the Caribbean remain free of inter-state armed conflicts.
"With only 8% of the world's population, our region accounts for more than 30% of global homicides," warned the Uruguayan leader, urging strengthened regional cooperation against organized crime, drug trafficking, and illicit arms trade.
The meeting also initiated a high-level dialogue between Latin America and Africa, aiming to expand the bloc's international cooperation amidst a global landscape fraught with wars, trade tensions, and weakened multilateralism.
Internal Struggles and Criticism
Despite efforts to set an international agenda, the summit laid bare internal difficulties within Celac. Lula da Silva had expressed concerns days earlier about the organization's stagnation and the diminishing presence of leaders at regional summits.
"Our summits are empty, lacking the main regional leaders," the Brazilian president lamented at a recent forum in Panama.
"Celac is paralyzed and hasn't even managed a single statement against illegal attacks impacting our nations," he added.
Colombian President Petro emphasized the need for Latin America and Africa to "find their own identity to communicate with the world" in an international scene defined by armed conflicts, climate crises, and geopolitical disputes.
Petro also criticized U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio's rhetoric, warning it could lead the world into "a new era of conflicts."
Cuba's Controversial Role
From Cuba, Foreign Minister Bruno Rodríguez defended Havana's role within Celac, asserting that his country would continue to promote "sovereign equality and collective independence" within the organization.
In a social media post, the Cuban diplomat reiterated accusations against the U.S. government for maintaining a policy of "war and economic persecution" against the island for over six decades, blaming the embargo for Cuba's economic hardships.
His statements sparked numerous critical reactions online, with users questioning the regime's official narrative and pointing out contradictions between the sovereignty rhetoric and Cuba's internal situation.
Some comments accused the Cuban government of using the embargo as a perennial excuse for the economic crisis, while others denounced the lack of political freedoms on the island and recalled the mass arrests following the July 11, 2021 protests, with over a thousand political prisoners still detained.
The Bogotá meeting thus presented an ambivalent picture of the organization: while it seeks to expand its international reach with new partners like Africa, Celac continues to struggle to establish a unified agenda amid a region increasingly fragmented politically.
Key Takeaways from the Celac Summit
What was the main focus of the Celac summit in Bogotá?
The summit focused on regional challenges, cooperation between Latin America and Africa, and highlighted internal struggles within Celac.
How did the summit reflect on Celac's internal issues?
The summit exposed Celac's internal difficulties with low attendance from leaders and ongoing disputes over Cuba and Venezuela.
What criticism did Cuba face during the summit?
Cuba faced criticism for using the U.S. embargo as an excuse for economic issues and for the lack of political freedoms on the island.