In his opening speech, Ambassador Paul Robotham, CD JP Permanent Secretary said:
• Master of Ceremonies, Honourable Aykut Eken
• Honourable Arnold Foote, OJ, President of the World Federation of Consuls, & Mrs. Foote
• Excellencies of the Diplomatic Corps
• Dean of the Consular Corps of Miami
• Members of the Latin American and Caribbean Region
• Ladies and Gentlemen
Let me begin by bringing warm greetings from sunny Jamaica, particularly at this time when Miami has been experiencing some unusual temperatures! I am deeply grateful for the kind invitation to address this Regional Conference of the World Federation of Consuls (FICAC) on the topic “Latin America and Caribbean Integration”.
In its over 32 years of existence, FICAC has grown in strength and influence as an effective international body promoting the office of Honorary Consuls and Consuls worldwide and engendering a better understanding of their duties and responsibilities, as well as their rights and privileges.
It is a source of great pride to Jamaica that one of our very own, Honourable Arnold Foote, OJ, has been the President of the World Federation of Consuls since 2006.
Honourable Arnold Foote, we salute you and commend you and FICAC for the excellent role being played in the service of global consular relations and diplomacy and in the promotion of the economic and social development of Latin America and the Caribbean.
Concept and Rationale for Regional Integration
Regional integration is the process by which two or more states agree to cooperate and work together to achieve stability, peace and prosperity. It recognizes the fact that there is strength in unity of purpose and conviction, especially when you are striving towards a common goal and confronting common challenges.
Globalisation has presented new challenges and opportunities to nation states. One response to the phenomenon of globalization has been to forge closer strategic links among states in order to deal with the complexities associated with the changes. This is particularly so among developing countries, which see the need to form associations with other states in order to grow and prosper in a sometimes hostile external environment.
The commitment of most countries to regional integration is also rooted in the growing understanding that regionalism strengthens the voice and leverage of individual countries in hemispheric and international affairs and gives them an enhanced role in international decision-making. This is particularly true for Small Island Developing States.
Integration is also propelled by our citizens. The rapid growth in Information Technology (IT) has facilitated increased people-to-people contacts and helped to propel cultural awareness and cosmopolitanism, particularly among young people. Traders and Investors from the private sector have also become more astute and have embraced the opportunities made available by globalization and integration to expand commercial activities regionally and globally.
The mushrooming of regional integration blocs around the world has also changed the way that countries and groups of countries relate to each other. Increasingly, many bilateral partners and development institutions are now opting for a regional approach in their diplomatic outreach and engagement and in the provision of economic and technical assistance.
I submit, therefore, that the need to focus on integration and development can scarcely be contested and it is no surprise that today, almost every country in the world is aligned to some kind of regional integration arrangement.
History of Latin America and Caribbean Integration
Despite the modern imperatives which propel the need for regional integration, we should not believe that this is a recent phenomenon.
In the case of Latin America and the Caribbean, it dates back to the early 19th Century when there were numerous, mostly failed attempts to promote various political federations in South and Central America.
The political philosophy of the Great Liberator Simon Bolivar is often credited as the foundation on which the ideal of Latin American and Caribbean integration is built.
This year we are celebrating the 200th Anniversary of the historic “Carta de Jamaica” or “Jamaica Letter”, which was written by Simon Bolivar on 6th September 1815 in Kingston.
This foundational document outlined Bolivar’s grand design for a unified Latin America as the best way to protect the continent’s newly-won Independence.
His visionary philosophy is captured in the following lines from the letter, “More than anyone, I desire to see America fashioned into the greatest nation in the world, greatest not so much by virtue of her area and wealth as by her freedom and glory”. He added, “It is a grandiose idea to think of consolidating the New World into a single nation, united by pacts into a single bond”.
His great dream led to the Amphictyonic Congress of Panama in 1826, where for the first time the young sovereign nations of the Hemisphere held discussion on the destiny of our continent for peace, development and social transformation.
Bolivar’s dream was not realised in his time, but how heartened would he be if he were alive today to know that the Summit of Americas, involving all the countries of Latin America and the Caribbean, including Cuba, together with the USA and Canada would be meeting at the level of Heads of State and Government in Panama in April 2015 to discuss democracy, peace, development and social transformation.
And so, the road to regional integration has been a long one and remains a work in progress. This will always be so as integration is a process, not an event.
In the latter half of the 20th Century, numerous regional and sub-regional institutions have been formed in Latin America and the Caribbean to promote integration, mostly among neighbouring states or like-minded countries. These include: the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) in 1973; the Latin American Integration Association (ALADI) in 1980; the Southern Common Market (MERCOSUR) in 1991; the Central American Integration System (SICA) in 1991; the Andean Community of Nations in 1996 (formerly the Andean Pact in 1969); and the South American Union of Nations (UNASUR) in 2004.
A number of States, including those of us in the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) have entrenched regional integration in our foreign policy objectives. CARICOM is one of the longest continuous integration movements in the western hemisphere.
With the creation in 1994 of the Association of Caribbean States (ACS), countries of the wider Caribbean recognised that for too long we had allowed the differences of history, culture and language to divide and distract us from getting to know each other better. Instead, we started to focus on what we had in common and how we could cooperate to advance our collective interests. It is no surprise therefore, that one of the greatest aims of the ACS is to gain the recognition of the international community for the designation of the Caribbean Sea, as a Special Area within the context of sustainable development.
Other regional groupings, such as The Bolivarian Alliance (ALBA) and PetroCaribe, have been created on the premise of promoting South-South cooperation and the implementation of new approaches to development, based on solidarity, cooperation, and the Bolivarian ideal of Latin American and Caribbean unity.
At the hemispheric level, the Organisation of American States (OAS) was established in 1948, and together with the Summit of the Americas process, remains an important platform for regional and hemispheric engagement on a broad range of issues of common interest. The OAS has four main pillars – human rights, democracy and governance, integral development, and multidimensional security.
The OAS includes all the countries of our hemisphere, including the USA and Canada, but with the exception of Cuba. The rationale for Cuba’s exclusion has been rescinded by the OAS and the door is open for Cuba to apply for re-entry to the OAS if it sees fit.
Notwithstanding the existence of the OAS, until recently, there had not existed any grouping that embraced all 33 countries of Latin America and the Caribbean. This has been finally rectified with the creation in 2011 of the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC).
CELAC was formed through the merger of the Rio Group, which was a Latin American and Caribbean body for political consultations, and the Summit on Integration and Development, which sought to promote the economic integration of Latin American and Caribbean States.
Many will ask why was there a need for CELAC to be created, despite the existence of the OAS. There are a number of good reasons.
First, there is the historical imperative. We have seen where the integration of all the States of Latin America and the Caribbean has been a dream for over 200 years.
There have been many setbacks along the way but the historical aspiration of our peoples and States has never been extinguished.
We keep coming back to the ideal because there are good reasons for all the developing countries of the hemisphere to unite their efforts to address their common challenges and take advantage of their natural and comparative advantages.
And so, the nation States of Latin America and the Caribbean have resolved to create their own regional space to engender trust and confidence, to project our unique identity and values to the world, and to promote our development, stability and security in all their dimensions.
We do so because we believe that united, we are better able to take advantage of the fact that we are a region of almost 600 million people, representing almost 9 per cent of the global population.
United, we are better able to take advantage of the fact that we have a combined GDP of almost US$6 trillion, representing a huge potential market for enhanced intra-regional trade, tourism and investment.
United, we are better able to maximise our growth and development based on the fact that our region occupies more than 15 per cent of the earth’s surface and possesses a substantial percentage of the most important mineral reserves; one third of the fresh water reserves; 12 per cent of the arable land; and 21 per cent of natural forests.
United we are better able to address the fact that we are the most inequitable region on the planet, where by some estimates the 10 per cent richest in Latin American receive 32 per cent of the total income, while the 40 per cent poorest receive only 15 per cent.
United we can serve as an example to the world as the first nuclear weapon free zone in a densely populated area, thanks to the Treaty of Tlatelolco.
United we can and have declared Latin America and the Caribbean as a Zone of Peace, in which differences between nations are peacefully settled through dialogue and negotiations and in accordance with international law.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
CELAC is growing in confidence and is increasingly recognized in the world as the legitimate representative of the collective interests of Latin America and the Caribbean.
Already, CELAC is the vehicle through which we engage with other countries and groups of countries, such as the European Union, China, Russia, and the Gulf States, to name a few.
The upcoming Third CELAC Summit to be held in Costa Rica in February 2015 is expected to reinforce the commitment of the countries of the region to the political objectives of CELAC.
In parallel, the Summit of Americas to be held in April 2015 in Panama will represent a platform for historic breakthroughs in hemispheric diplomacy and a chance to heal a wound that has festered for too long.
It will allow all 35 countries of our hemisphere to move away from what divides us and focus on what unites us.
It will celebrate the removal of a rift that has existed between Latin America and the Caribbean and the United States for more than 40 years and pave the way for us to be restored as a hemispheric family of nations.
It will allow us to begin in earnest to address the problems of the weakest and most vulnerable members of the hemisphere so that every chain in our hemispheric link will become stronger and our collective prosperity and security will be enhanced.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
Integration is really an all-embracing concept, incorporating governments, civil society, the private sector and most importantly, the people themselves.
And so, I submit that the success of CELAC and other regional integration movements will depend on the commitment of all its constituent members and the partnerships developed over time among actors at all levels of society.
In this broad scenario, we all have an important role to play, including the World Federation of Consuls.
The historic 50th Anniversary in 2013 of the Vienna Convention on Consular Relations has highlighted the evolution of the role of consular representatives. Today, your expanded mandate is wideranging, covering political, economic and social issues, effectively complementing the work of diplomatic representatives and supporting national development and regional integration.
The Federation is well positioned to assist in creating a broader, sturdier platform of cooperation, that will engage and benefit all the countries of the region both in terms of how we relate to each other and how, together, we relate to the rest of the world.
It is significant that the Federation has also seen it necessary to organise itself at the regional level which is consistent with the approach being taken by our countries in advancing the regional integration project.
The Federation has through these regional Committees, embarked on initiatives covering security, education, health and maritime issues. Trade and investment continue to be a priority through the successful staging of FICAC International Trade Expos, as well as International Cultural Galas which have not only served to promote direct trade between the sending States and the receiving States but also to build cultural understanding between said States.
In closing, I wish to once again applaud the Federation for its excellent work, vision and innovative ideas for the enhancement of international relations. May you continue to sow the seeds of opportunities in your various jurisdictions to the benefit of our countries and region.
And so, I close where I began – commending FICAC for its dynamism and commitment and urging the organisation and its members to continue to play their part to help make the Americas, in the words of Bolivar: “fashioned into the greatest nation in the world, greatest not so much by virtue of her area and wealth as by her freedom and glory”.
Thank you.
