Screenshot showing all attendees of the Latin American Anti-Inflation Summit held via video conference this Wednesday, April 5, 2023. Photo: Ultimas Noticias.
This Wednesday, Mexico and 10 Latin American countries, members of the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC), reached seven agreements to combat inflation and facilitate regional trade, including the creation of a Technical Working Group with government representatives from each nation to identify cooperation measures.
The participating nations also agreed to promote logistical and financial measures that allow the exchange of basic food basket products and intermediate goods in better conditions, taking into account the reality of each country, with the priority of lowering costs.
In accordance with the declaration of the Alliance of Latin American and Caribbean Countries against Inflation, the technical working group will identify regional cooperation measures, based on the respective multilateral, regional, subregional, and bilateral agreements signed by each nation.
The alliance was granted the power to establish an action plan to implement, “within a reasonable time,” the adoption of trade facilitation measures to address the high prices of basic consumer products and inputs to contribute to food security and nutrition, including technology transfer and cooperation in capacity building.
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The working group will carry out a feasibility analysis and actions that promote a more agile and effective access to basic consumer products through better logistical conditions.
This study will also prioritize the development of a framework for the removal of obstacles and harmonization of sanitary regulations and certifications.
As part of the resolutions, it was agreed to promote measures that facilitate access to international credit and increase multilateral financing of agricultural, agro-industrial, and infrastructure projects for the transport of goods.
Next meeting in May
Among the agreements of the group of countries, it was announced that a meeting between business sectors, including family and peasant farming organizations, as well as high-level authorities from the countries that participated in this anti-inflation Summit, will be held on May 6 and 7.
The joint declaration states that the countries recognize the need to reach agreements that stimulate sustainable food production, through the commitment to strengthening the economies of the region and the productive sectors through inclusion, solidarity, and international cooperation.
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According to the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC), only 9.6% of the region’s exports of products belonging to the basic basket are destined for the Western Hemisphere, while imports add up to around 28%.
The following leaders participated in the anti-inflation summit: Mexican president Andrés Manuel López Obrador and his Argentine counterpart, Alberto Fernández; Belize’s Juan Antonio Briceño; Bolivia’s Luis Arce; Chile’s Gabriel Boric; Cuba’s Miguel Diaz-Canel; Honduras’ Xiomara Castro; Saint Vincent and the Grenadines’ Keisal Melissa Peters; Venezuela’s Delcy Rodriguez, representing President Nicolas Maduro; Colombian Minister of Commerce Germán Umaña Mendoza; and Brazil’s senior foreign policy adviser Celso Amorim, who resolved to advance in the definition of trade facilities between the countries of the Latin American region.
Delcy Rodríguez’s participation
As reported by YVKE Mundial, Delcy Rodríguez stated that “there is an alarming increase that places the political-social balance of humanity at risk. According to the United Nations (UN), in 2021 some 828 million people suffered from hunger on the entire planet, that is to say, 150 million more since the outbreak of the Coronavirus pandemic.
“These millions of souls suffer from hunger and malnutrition. Every year 931 million tons of food end up in the trash, as indicated by the 2021 food waste index, another 12 billion tons of food are lost before, during, and after the harvest, reaching 40% of losses over the total that is produced.
“This situation is expressed more harshly in our Latin American and Caribbean region, where four out of 10 people, some 267 million in total, experienced moderate or severe food insecurity in 2020; that is, 60 million more than 2019,” said Rodríguez during her speech at the summit.
(RedRadioVE) with Orinoco Tribune content
Translation: Orinoco Tribune
OT/JRE/SL
