By Admin. Updated 4:50 p.m., Saturday, January 20, 2024, Atlantic Standard Time (GMT-4).
Ministers of Agriculture in the community of Latin American and Caribbean States – CELAC are preparing to implement a plan to ensure food and nutrition security in the region.
The plan also aims to eradicate hunger by 2023.
According to a press release from the Ministry of Agriculture of St. Vincent and the Grenadines, the CELAC Agriculture Ministers met to discuss the plan at a high-level meeting in Chile on Tuesday, 16, 2024.
The meeting was held at the Food and Agriculture Office (FAO), Regional Office, and it saw the unanimous support and validation of the plan.
“The document will be submitted to Dr. Hon. Ralph Gonsalves, Pro Tempore President of CELAC and Prime Minister of St. Vincent and the Grenadines for review and guidance through the established CELAC processes,” the release stated.
“The meeting saw almost one hundred
delegates engaged both in-person and via online platforms, the release stated.
“After months of discussions among key stakeholders including: policy makers, experts, technical governing bodies, international agencies, academics, civil society and others, a working plan is now ready for each member state that will serve as a guide for a unified approach which takes into
consideration the varying socio-economic dynamics of the region,” the release stated.
The rest of the press release (verbatim):
The validation process was a collective effort that demonstrated the support and dedication of the
Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO), the Economic Commission for Latin America and the
Caribbean (ECLAC), Latin American Integration Association (ALADI), the Caribbean Community
(CARICOM), the Organization of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS), The CARICOM Private Sector
Organization (CPSO) and the Inter-American Institute for Coorporation on Agriculture (IICA).
Hon. Saboto Caesar hands over symbolically the CELAC Food Plan to Hon. Laura Suazo of Honduras who is expected to be charged with the
implementation of the Plan after the CELAC Summit in SVG Mario Lubetkin, Deputy Director General of the FAO and Regional Representative for LAC and His Excellency Dr. Douglas Slater, CELAC PTP Co-ordinator played critical roles in supporting the convening of the meeting.
The plan is being praised by policy makers and technical experts for its cohesiveness, while
addressing the complexities and peculiarities of the region; highlighting concerns such as gender
and human right issues, legal and institutional structures, and public policies. The plan is also being recognised for its added components of financing, monitoring and implementation in addressing its sustainability towards production, accessibility and consumption; against the backdrop of climate change and mitigation efforts.
The meeting was co-chaired by Ministers of Agriculture of Chile Hon. Esteban Valenzuela and St. Vincent and the Grenadines Hon. Saboto Caesar, and comes ahead of the CELAC Summit to be
held in St. Vincent and the Grenadines in March. The Summit is expected to further cement the
collaboration among member states in attaining greater food security while fostering deeper
regional integration, and leveraging expertise from among member states, utilising new innovations
and technologies to facilitate increased production and minimised environmental impacts.
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