SELA HOLDS XXIV MEETING OF INTERNATIONAL COOPERATION DIRECTORS IN EL SALVADOR

Caracas, May 31- In compliance with Decision 538 of the Latin American Council of the Latin American and Caribbean Economic System (SELA), with the sponsorship of the Government of El Salvador, the XXIV Meeting of International Cooperation Directors for Latin America and the Caribbean is being held in San Salvador until 31 May, to analyze and exchange experiences as regards the topic of “regional cooperation in the area of border integration”.

This annual event with a regional scope, organized jointly by the Permanent Secretariat of SELA and the Government of El Salvador, through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, is attended by representatives of international cooperation agencies and directions of the 28 Member States of SELA.

Its conduction was possible thanks to the support provided by the Perez-Guerrero Trust Fund (PGTF) of the Group of 77 (G77), the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) and the CAF-Development Bank of Latin America.

The forum is aimed at providing high-level officials responsible for international cooperation of the Member States of SELA an overview on the policies and initiatives underway in the countries of the region in the area of border integration, through the participation of regional and subregional integration organizations, and facilitating an exchange of experiences as regards how to overcome the particular challenges faced in this area of integration in Latin America and the Caribbean.

On this occasion, special emphasis will be made on the analysis of this subject from the perspective of the countries of the Caribbean. Participating forums and mechanisms include the Andean Community (CAN), the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC), the CARICOM Development Fund, the Mesoamerica project, the Amazon Cooperation Treaty Organization (ACTO), the Common Market of the South (MERCOSUR), the Bolivarian Alliance for the Peoples of Our America – Peoples’ Trade Treaty (ALBA-TCP), and the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC).

The XXIV Meeting of International Cooperation Directors will be attended by the Permanent Secretary of SELA, Ambassador Roberto Guarnieri, and will be opened by the Vice-President of the Republic of El Salvador, his Excellency Salvador Sánchez Cerén.

Participants also include other distinguished personalities from both the Government of El Salvador and the agencies and programmes related to cooperation among developing countries, such as his Excellency Jaime Alfredo Miranda, Deputy Minister of Cooperation for Development of El Salvador, and his Excellency Ambassador Mourad Ahmia, Executive Secretary of the Group of 77 (G-77).

Every year, the Latin American Council of SELA chooses a topic of high priority for the region in order to evaluate, in the context of the meetings of International Cooperation Directors, the different initiatives undertaken and the experiences gained at the regional level in analyzing problems and finding solutions through bilateral and multilateral cooperation. In addition to facilitating the relations among the main actors in this strategic field of public policies, the forum is also aimed at facilitating the identification of new cooperation initiatives, promoting coordination, and encouraging the exchange of offers and demands among the national authorities in charge of cooperation.

The Panama Convention recognizes regional cooperation as one of the strategic objectives of SELA. On the basis of SELA’s vast experience as a promoter of regional dialogue, consultation and dialogue, as well as the re-launch of such objectives within the framework of the CELAC, the XXXVIII Meeting of the Latin American Council recognized the opportunity and advisability of dealing with the issue of regional cooperation in the area of border integration, upon a proposal made by El Salvador.

In view of the economic and social dynamics in border areas and the specific characteristics of their problems and potentials, the meeting in San Salvador will provide a unique opportunity to better deal with their problems and promote shared efforts among interested Member States, while counting with the active support of the various mechanisms offered by the regional and subregional cooperation and integration institutions.