THE heads of state of the members of the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (Celac) gathered in Costa Rica at the end of January, where leaders affirmed the need for co-ordinated action to reduce poverty.

Celac is a coalition of 33 Latin American and Caribbean nations representing around 600 million people and was created as an alternative to other political blocs that are dominated by the US, such as the Organisation for American States (OAS) and the Summit of the Americas, both of which exclude Cuba.

Arising from the summit, the Political Declaration of Belen has 94 different points including a commitment to multilateralism, dialogue between countries, peaceful solutions to conflicts and unconditional support for the United Nations Charter and international law.

It presents a vision of international affairs that is very different to the one preferred by the US and its allies in recent years.
In another knock to the interventionist attitude of US policy makers, Celac also reiterated its 2014 declaration that Latin America and the Caribbean is a zone of peace, calling on the international community to “respect this proclamation.”

Summing up the mood, Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro said that Latin America is living in a “new historic era” marked by unity, predicting that the 21st century will “mark the end of imperialism.”

The summit called on President Obama to fully end the blockade on Cuba and firmly rejected US sanctions against Venezuela, calling them a violation of international law and a threat to peace, with Cuban President Raul Castro saying: “We emphatically reject the sanctions against Venezuela and reaffirm our complete support for the government of Venezuela.”

Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega offered part of his speaking time to Puerto Rican independence leader Ruben Berrios Martinez, who called on the bloc to support the island’s struggle against colonialism. Fellow leaders urged a commitment to include representation from the island in future meetings of Celac.

As he took on the rotating leadership of Celac, Ecuadorian President Rafael Correa asserted that “we must raise our voices against the catastrophe of climate change,” and emphasised a broader commitment to peace and social justice both in the region and beyond.

A key further focus of contributions at the summit was a timely discussion on how the region could further reduce poverty through mutual co-operation, with President Correa saying “We have to advance and develop much faster.”

Reiterating his commitment to eradicating poverty and inequality, Correa argued that while “currently there are 68 million Latin Americans who live in extreme poverty,” it was necessary for Latin American countries to “eliminate all forms of poverty,” with the bloc approving a plan of action to eliminate hunger by 2025.

Correa made it clear that he also believed Celac should pursue social development beyond the poverty targets, emphasising that under Ecuador’s leadership the bloc would target education as “the most important step toward development.”

Calling for the regional bloc to provide funding for infrastructure, for which investment increased 6.2 per cent in 2014, he also built on the idea of the region as a creator of alternatives to global institutions dominated by other interests such as those of global big capital.

Indeed, days before the summit, the UN highlighted the social progress made in Latin America in recent years, with the latest UN Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC) study showing that between 2005 and 2012 multidimensional poverty decreased to 28 per cent from 39 per cent of the population.

The multidimensional poverty index combines monetary and non-monetary aspects of wellbeing, including employment, social protection and schooling, as well as housing, basic services and living standards, which includes income and durable goods.

Improvements were registered in all the cases, with the biggest drops in poverty levels seen in Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Uruguay and Venezuela — all of which have been led by left or left-of-centre governments in recent years.

It was also noteworthy that social movements also met in parallel with Celac, where Bolivian President Evo Morales met various representatives from across the region to praise movements which he said have directly helped to achieve the region’s transformation.

In his speech at the summit, Morales argued that “Capitalism and neoliberalism inflict harm on humanity and nature” as “a failed model which doesn’t benefit the people,” and emphasised that the state must play an important role in the economy through regulation and ownership. He attributed Bolivia’s economic success to his government’s decision to greatly increase its control over the country’s natural resources.

President Morales is undoubtedly right — a better world is not only possible, but in Latin America today it is starting to be built.

Matt Willgress is national co-ordinator of the Venezuela Solidarity Campaign. He writes a regular Morning Star column on Latin American affairs.