UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres is attending the eighth summit of the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC). UN chief calls for support for UN Humanitarian Response Plan for Haiti Sustainable Development Goals
Speaking at the eighth summit of the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC) in Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres acknowledged progress in the Colombian peace process and the dialogue between Guyana and Venezuela . He also addressed security issues in the region and called for international cooperation to effectively combat threats.
In his speech, the UN head highlighted four key areas: security, development, social harmony and climate.
Peace and security
Touching on the need for solidarity for peace and security, Guterres noted that Progress in the peace process in Colombia was achieved thanks to the contribution of the CELAC countries. In addition, he said, the joint declaration on dialogue and peace between Guyana and Venezuela, adopted last December, was another example of the region’s commitment to finding peaceful solutions.
The Secretary-General stressed that among the threats there remains the difficult situation in Haiti, which is worsening every day. He called for financial support for the UN Humanitarian Response Plan for the country.
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Solidarity for sustainable development
Millions of people in the region face poverty and hunger, Guterres said.
On sustainable development, he welcomed the recently adopted CELAC Plan to achieve food security and eradicate hunger by 2030. However, this requires financing, while many countries are already drowning in debt, and the global financial system is not able to help them, the UN head noted.
In this regard, he emphasized the need to reform the global financial architecture. In addition, he called for support for the UN program to stimulate the Sustainable Development Goals, which is designed to provide long-term financing to developing countries, as well as help pay off their external debts.
Society cohesion
“Authoritarianism and extremism are spreading throughout the world. The space for democracy and civic engagement is being destroyed,” Guterres said, calling for a renewed social contract based on the principles of trust, fairness and inclusion, as well as human rights.
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines recently suffered a devastating volcanic eruption.
Climate change
According to Guterres, the region and the world solidarity is needed to tackle the climate emergency, which particularly threatens small island states.
He called on all countries to commit to limiting growth global temperature to 1.5 degrees Celsius. In addition, Latin American and Caribbean countries need investment from multilateral development banks and the private sector in climate change mitigation and adaptation.
“Solidarity and cooperation are at the heart of the vibrant history of your region and the work of CELAC,” the UN chief said, calling on participating countries to take bold action for peace and prosperity throughout the planet.