Mr. President of the Councils of State and Ministers of the Republic of Cuba, Raúl Castro;

Presidents and Heads of Government:

It is a high honour for me to address you at this II Summit of the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC) on behalf of the Latin American and Caribbean Economic System (SELA), whose raison d'être and path are incorporated into the legacy preceding this Community, aimed at promoting consultation and political dialogue, and is opening doors to new strategies and approaches in international relations.

First of all, let me express my gratitude on behalf of SELA for being kindly invited to this II Summit and congratulate the Government of Cuba for the excellent organization, coordination and execution of the tasks undertaken by the Pro Tempore Presidency of CELAC until this II Summit. It has been a fruitful work which, along with the achievements made in the conduction of the foreseen programmes, ministerial meetings and meetings of experts on the topics that are of interest to the Community, opened cooperation with other regional bodies within the framework of South-South cooperation, including the Gulf Cooperation Council and the group of BRICS countries.

Since its inception, CELAC has received SELA’s support, because both organizations share fundamental principles. In addition, SELA was entrusted with the task of providing CELAC with the technical support it requires to perform its functions, in accordance with a mandate issued by the Latin American Council at its XXXVIII Regular Meeting in October 2012 and reiterated at the XXXIX Regular Meeting in November 2013, adopted as part of the Work Programme for 2014.

In this regard, the Permanent Secretariat complied with Decisions 527 and 539, related to the support of the Permanent Secretariat of SELA and its Work Programme to the establishment of the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States. Thus, our tasks have been in line with the priorities established by CELAC and we have provided technical support to the Pro Tempore Presidency whenever necessary. Needless to say, we will continue to perform our duties under the Presidency of Costa Rica.

Regarding the Work Programme for 2014, I would like to draw particular attention to two programmes and a permanent activity in support of CELAC.

The first programme to highlight is entitled “Support to integration and policies for economic and social development in Latin America and the Caribbean,” which includes an activity on the compliance with Decisions of the Latin American Council regarding the links of SELA and its Work Programme with CELAC, specifically in the area of Productive and Industrial Development.

In October 2013, the Meeting of High-Level Officials on Productive and Industrial Development in Latin America and the Caribbean was held at the headquarters of SELA, in collaboration with the Pro Tempore Presidency of CELAC and the Executive Secretariat of ECLAC.

In accordance with the mandate received from the Latin American Council and based on the conclusions of the aforementioned meeting, SELA and ECLAC shall prepare a draft work programme and base documents, which will be submitted for consideration of the First Ministerial Conference on Productive and Industrial Development of CELAC, to be held this year in Costa Rica.

In addition, the Permanent Secretariat has scheduled a Comprehensive Evaluation of the Regional Integration Process, in which different mechanisms make their contributions, namely: CAN, CARICOM, MERCOSUR, SICA, ALBA-TCP and the Pacific Alliance. It has also provided for the necessary process for their convergence in a Latin American and Caribbean economic space.

This evaluation will be presented in an Annual Report, which will include the situation, progress and difficulties of this process in the various fields of action. This study will also provide a set of conclusions and recommendations to strengthen the process and the evolution of regional cooperation programmes that promote integration.

As for the ongoing work, the organization will provide information technology support, in a broad sense, for the design and maintenance of a subportal exclusively dedicated to CELAC and incorporated into SELA’s portal.

It is worth recalling what the President of Costa Rica said at the Summit of CELAC in Santiago: “Through systematic and inclusive processes of internal consultation, CELAC will constitute the global voice of Latin America and the Caribbean. To do so with adequate strength, our consensus must be inspired by a healthy idealism. However, we have to work with much-vaunted pragmatism in order to set realistic priorities, identify creative options and move towards solidly promising horizons.”

We should take those words and make them ours, while agreeing on the need for a global voice to be perceived and understood by other regions and countries. The more integrated we are, the more synchronized that voice will be.

In view of the existence of various integration mechanisms in the region, we, the Latin American and Caribbean people, feel closer one to another. However, many obstacles remain in the way of integration.

The Permanent Secretariat believes that the various subregional integration mechanisms can progressively converge. Achieving this goal is a complex, but certainly possible, task that should remove all constraints: political, economic, institutional, social and historical.

The present time, characterized by pauses in the effective process of regional economic integration, requires the promotion of a favourable climate to overcome those breaks and the update of topics that bridge differences among the nations involved, in all sectors, to reach a common and global voice.

We are convinced that, vis-à-vis these extraordinary challenges, Costa Rica will carry on the relevant work Cuba has undertaken as Pro Tempore President of CELAC. And it could not be otherwise. While reiterating the cooperation and complete willingness of the Permanent Secretariat of SELA in support of CELAC, I wish Costa Rica every success as new Pro Tempore President of CELAC, for a stronger sense of pride of this country, for the benefit of Latin America and the Caribbean, and for the sake of international relations.