Peace between Guyana and Venezuela amid their territorial dispute, security in punished Haiti and carbon credits: key points of the summit of heads of government of the Caribbean Community (Caricom), which has been meeting in Georgetown since Sunday.
The Caribbean bloc, predominantly English-speaking and culturally more distant from the rest of Latin American countries, is meeting in Guyana's capital until Wednesday, the day of the arrival of Brazilian President Luiz Inácio. Lula da Silva as a “special guest”.
Caricom's outgoing president, Dominica Prime Minister Roosevelt Skerrit, celebrated with “huge pride” the outcome of the December meeting between the leaders of Venezuela and Guyana, Nicolás Maduro and Irfaan Ali, to guarantee peace ahead of regional fears over the conflict Struggle for the sovereignty of Essequibo, an oil-rich area.
“What we achieved as a group when we met as a family in December in St. Vincent and the Grenadines to maturely address the tensions between two brothers,” Skerrit noted in his speech during the opening ceremony on Sunday.
“We made international headlines, not because of unrest, war or violence, but because we hosted mature and proactive consultations that created a model that others in the world would do well to follow,” he added.
Advertisement – Scroll to continue
Since the non-aggression pact, the tension has fluctuated between the current calm and the mobilization of troops due to the presence of a warship sent by the United Kingdom for “routine maneuvers”.
Lula, also the protagonist of the mediation between the two countries, must address this issue during his visit.
Irfaan Ali, who takes over as Caricom's president, urged investment in “the security of the region” and sought support from the United States, Georgetown's ally and Caracas' arch-enemy.
Advertisement – Scroll to continue
The bloc leaders highlighted instability in Haiti, the region's poorest country, amid a severe political, security and humanitarian crisis in which armed gangs have seized control of entire territories.
“We have to help Haiti yesterday,” stressed Skerrit. “It takes everyone’s support.”
“As a region, we are committed to ensuring that the people of Haiti can also achieve their full potential in terms of peace, security and good governance,” Ali said, highlighting meetings on this topic at the summit.
Advertisement – Scroll to continue
Haiti awaits the arrival of a multinational police force to provide security as political pressure mounts on Prime Minister Ariel Henry.
Haiti has been without a president since the assassination of President Jovenel Moise in 2021 and has not held elections since 2016. Three weeks ago, thousands of people protested, demanding Henry's departure and adherence to an agreed timetable for the energy transition in 2022.
The issue should also be on the agenda of the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC) summit meeting in St. Vincent and the Grenadines on March 1.
Advertisement – Scroll to continue
Guyana, whose area is 89% virgin forest, has pledged $2 million of the 750 emissions certificates sold to Caricom to the American company Hess, Ali announced.
In addition, there will be another 3 million from the oil company ExxonMobil, responsible for exploitation in that country and a protagonist in the fight with Venezuela, for “sustainable projects to increase resilience and improve productivity in the region, including food security”. the president.
Ali noted that one of the Caribbean's goals is to end hunger and malnutrition – affecting nearly 45 million people (57% of the population) – by 2030, while announcing agricultural projects with international partners, including Brazil .
He also called for the abolition of tariffs in the Caribbean. “We are too small to compete with each other,” emphasized Ali.
jt/erc/mar