SELA presents activities scheduled during XLIX Regular Meeting of the Latin American Council

The Latin American and Caribbean Economic System (SELA) held the Preparatory Stage of the XLIX Regular Meeting of the Latin American Council on 05 December to discuss the activities planned for the year 2024, within the framework of the Multi-Year Work Programme, focused on the areas of Economic Recovery, Digitalisation and Infrastructure, and Social Development, which aims to coordinate positions of the Member States for the integration and development of the region.

The Permanent Secretary of SELA, Ambassador Clarems Endara, presented the activities conducted during 2023 and then submitted for consideration by the delegations of the Latin American Council the draft Work Programme for the year 2024.

The proposal is broken down into the three areas of work of the organisation and totals 47 activities. In the Area of Economic Recovery, 24 activities have been proposed on Economic Integration, Trade Facilitation and Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs); in the Area of Digitalisation and Infrastructure, 8 activities have been defined for Digital Transformation and Sustainable Energy Infrastructure; while in the Area of Social Development, 15 activities have been planned focusing on Sustainable and Resilient Development, Comprehensive Disaster Risk Management, and promotion of a comprehensive vision of Human Mobility.

The outline of the Work Programme responds to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) for Latin America and the Caribbean, which is part of SELA's commitment to its membership.

During the meeting, the Ambassador of Argentina in Venezuela and Chair of the Latin American Council, Oscar Laborde, underscored the role of SELA as a tool for integration in Latin America and the Caribbean and stressed that the organisation is finding its complementary role with other integration mechanisms in the region.

Once the Preparatory Meeting has reviewed the planning proposal, it will be discussed at the Ministerial Stage of the XLIX Regular Meeting of the Latin American Council, the highest decision-making body of SELA, which annually brings together its Member States to establish the general policies of the organisation. On this occasion, this meeting will take place on Wednesday, 6 December 2023.

The Latin American Council is the highest decision-making body of SELA and is made up of one representative of each Member State. Its attributions include considering, evaluating and approving: the work programme for the following year; the annual report submitted by the Permanent Secretariat; the budget and financial status of the mechanism, as well as examining the activities of the Permanent Secretariat and the Action Committees.

In its 48 years of uninterrupted work, SELA has become a regional organisation of reference, conducting consultation and coordination, cooperation and joint economic and social promotion tasks, of a permanent nature, with international legal personality, before countries, groups of nations, forums and international organisations.