SVG makes history again by being elected CELAC president

By Demion McTair. Updated 5:00 a.m., Wednesday, January 24, 2023, Atlantic Standard Time (GMT-4).

St. Vincent and the Grenadines has been elected to take over the rotating presidency of the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States – CELAC, for 2023, this country’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced on January 24.

The election took place on January 24, 2023, in Buenos Aires, Argentina during the 7th Heads of State and Government Summit CELAC.

This county’s election to the regional body was unanimous.

The tiny nation with a population of 109,000 people will lead the body which cumulatively represents a population of some 650 million people.

According to the Agency for Public Information – API, Prime Minister Dr. Ralph Gonsalves attended the summit with a delegation that included Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade Minister Keisal Peters, SVG’s Ambassador to Venezuela – His Excellency Gareth Bynoe, SVG’s former Ambassador to Venezuela – Andreas Wickham, and the Prime Minister’s security Kendal Horne.

According to its website, CELAC is an intergovernmental mechanism for dialogue and political agreement.

See our story on January 11 for background information.

The regional body includes permanently thirty-three (33) countries in Latin America and the Caribbean which collectively has a population of 650 million people.

CELAC is also the third largest economy in the world with a GDP of around $ 7 trillion dollars and the largest food producer in the world and third largest producer of electricity, its website says. 

Argentina was elected on January 7, 2022, to occupy the rotating presidency of the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC) in 2022.

Since its launch in December 2011, CELAC’s presidency has been held by a number of countries including Venezuela, Mexico, and Chile.

The move by St. Vincent and the Grenadines comes after this country made history by becoming one of the smallest nations to be elected to a non-permanent seat on the United Nations Security Council, St. Vincent and the Grenadines is aiming high again in its international relations. 

According to the United Nations, St. Vincent and the Grenadines made history in 2019 after becoming the “smallest nation ever to secure a seat” as a non-permanent member of the United Nations Security Council. 

This country “officially assumed its position on January 2, 2020,” which ran for a period of two years; culminating on December 31, 2021, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs says.