CELAC Strengthens Commitment to Food Security Plan

Ministers of Agriculture from member countries of the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC) reaffirmed their commitment to advancing the implementation of the 2024-2030 Food Security, Nutrition, and Hunger Eradication Plan (SAN CELAC). The meeting reviewed progress and new strategies aimed at accelerating the plan’s implementation.

The Pro Tempore Presidency presented actions taken to move forward with the SAN CELAC Plan, highlighting the strengthening of its four key pillars. Notable initiatives included technical and political dialogue forums on food security and development, the systematization of best practices, and strategies to mobilize resources for combating hunger and malnutrition.

A key development announced during the meeting was the launch of the Food Security and Nutrition Platform for Latin America and the Caribbean, a project supported by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), and the World Food Programme (WFP). The platform aims to provide more accurate monitoring of progress toward food security goals in the region.

Laura Elena Suazo, Honduras' Minister of Agriculture and Livestock, led the ministerial dialogue and highlighted key actions undertaken during her country's Pro Tempore Presidency. “The progress of the SAN CELAC Plan is a clear example of the coordination and joint efforts of governments and partners committed to combating hunger and poverty in the region,” she said.

Mario Lubetkin, Assistant Director General and Regional Representative for Latin America and the Caribbean, FAO, spoke at the event’s opening, highlighting findings from the recent FAO Regional Overview of Food Security and Nutrition. The report, prepared by FAO and other UN agencies, indicates a decline in hunger and food insecurity in the region for the second consecutive year, despite challenges in nutrition and an increase in extreme climate events.

“Latin America and the Caribbean are heading in the right direction, but it is essential to realign food and agricultural policies to achieve the sustainable transformation of agri-food systems. The SAN CELAC Plan is a concrete regional initiative that strengthens efforts to eradicate hunger, poverty, and inequality. The active participation of ministers and high-level authorities is a clear sign of the region’s commitment to this goal,” Lubetkin stated.

The event saw participation from 26 countries, represented by ministers and senior authorities, both in-person and virtually. Also attending were representatives from the IDB, the Latin American and Caribbean Economic System (SELA), the Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture (IICA), the Development Bank of Latin America and the Caribbean (CAF), the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC), the WFP, the Latin American Integration Association (ALADI), the International Coffee Organization (ICO), the International Regional Organization for Agricultural Health (OIRSA), the Regional Cooperative Program for the Technological Development and Modernization of Coffee Farming (PROMECAFE), and the Cooperative of the Americas and the Confederation of Cooperatives of the Caribbean and Central America (CCC-CA).