"A Commitment to Building for the Future Unites the Nations of Latin America and the Caribbean"

(22 February 2010) A commitment to building for the future unites the region of Latin America and the Caribbean, said today the Secretary-General of the United Nations, Ban Ki-moon, in a message delivered by Alicia Bárcena, Executive Secretary of ECLAC, to the 25 Chiefs of State and Governments gathered at the Unity Summit of Latin America and the Caribbean, in Cancun, Mexico.

In his message, the UN Secretary-General stresses the significant progress made by Latin American and Caribbean countries in strengthening regional cooperation and pursuing greater economic and social integration.

"The world has much to learn from your many examples of success in economic recovery and protection for the vulnerable", stated Ban Ki-moon.

He also called the heads of State to mobilize for further action, especially towards the special summit focused on the Millennium Development Goals that will take place next September in New York, and expressed his full support to the government of Mexico, where this year's Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP 16) will convene in December.

"In all of these efforts, I am honoured to reaffirm my commitment, and that of the UN Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC), to working closely with you to strengthen our partnership for the people of the entire region", declared the UN Secretary-General.

After reading Ban Ki-moon's message, Alicia Bárcena presented two documents, prepared especially by ECLAC for this Summit:

1. Opportunities for Convergence and Regional Cooperation, which examines the main characteristics of the post-crisis scenario and identifies the ensuing demand for greater regional cooperation, presenting also several proposals to boost that cooperation. Four of them refer to intraregional issues (fostering trade within the region, investment in infrastructure, social cohesion and reducing asymmetries) and other four are related to global challenges: innovation, forging closer ties as a region with Asia-Pacific, reforming the international financial system and climate change.
2. Climate change: a regional perspective, jointly prepared by ECLAC and the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB). Its purpose is to contribute to the ongoing discussion on the economic impact of climate change in light of the results of the COP15, the latest session of the Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, held in Copenhagen last December.

For more information, please contact ECLAC's Information Service. E-mail: dpisantiago@cepal.org; phones: (56 2) 210 2040/2149.