Latin American and Caribbean Group
None
Formation | 1964 ; 59 years ago ( 1964 ) |
---|---|
Type | Regional Group |
Legal status | Active |
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The Group of Latin America and Caribbean Countries , or GRULAC , is one of the five United Nations Regional Groups composed of 33 Member States from Central and South America , as well as some islands in the West Indies . Its members compose 17% of all United Nations members.
The Group, as with all the regional groups, is a non-binding dialogue group where subjects concerning regional and international matters are discussed. Additionally, the Group works to help allocates seats on United Nations bodies by nominating candidates from the region. [1] [2]
Member States
The following are the Member States of the Latin American and Caribbean Group: [3] [4]
- Antigua and Barbuda
- Argentina
- Bahamas
- Barbados
- Belize
- Bolivia (Plurinational State of)
- Brazil
- Chile
- Colombia
- Costa Rica
- Cuba
- Dominica
- Dominican Republic
- Ecuador
- El Salvador
- Grenada
- Guatemala
- Guyana
- Haiti
- Honduras
- Jamaica
- Mexico
- Nicaragua
- Panama
- Paraguay
- Peru
- Saint Lucia
- Saint Kitts and Nevis
- Saint Vincent and the Grenadines
- Suriname
- Trinidad and Tobago
- Uruguay
- Venezuela, Bolivarian Republic of
Representation
Security Council
The Latin American and Caribbean Group currently holds two seats on the Security Council , both non-permanent. The current members of the Security Council from the Group are: [5] [6]
Country | Term |
---|---|
Mexico | 1 January 2021 – 31 December 2022 |
Brazil | 1 January 2022 – 31 December 2023 |
Economic and Social Council
The Latin American and Caribbean Group currently holds 10 seats on the United Nations Economic and Social Council . The current members of the Economic and Social Council from the Group are: [7] [8]
Country | Term |
---|---|
Argentina | 1 January 2021 – 31 December 2023 |
Bolivia | |
Guatemala | |
Mexico | |
Brazil | 1 January 2019 – 31 December 2021 |
Jamaica | |
Paraguay | |
Nicaragua | 1 January 2020 – 31 December 2022 |
Colombia | |
Panama |
Human Rights Council
The Latin American and Caribbean Group currently holds eight seats on the United Nations Human Rights Council . The current members of the Economic and Social Council from the Group are: [9] [10]
Country | Term |
---|---|
Bolivia | 1 January 2021 – 31 December 2023 |
Cuba | |
Mexico | |
Argentina | 1 January 2019 – 31 December 2021 |
Bahamas | |
Uruguay | |
Brazil | 1 January 2020 – 31 December 2022 |
Venezuela (Bolivarian Republic of) |
Presidency of the General Assembly
Every five years in the years ending in 3 and 8, the Latin American and Caribbean Group is eligible to elect a president to the General Assembly. [11]
The following is a list of presidents from the Group since its official creation in 1963: [12]
Year Elected | Session | Name of President | Country | Note |
---|---|---|---|---|
1963 | 18th | Carlos Sosa Rodríguez | Venezuela | |
1968 | 23rd | Emilio Arenales Catalán | Guatemala | |
1973 | 28th | Leopoldo Benítes | Ecuador | Also chaired the sixth special session of the General Assembly |
1978 | 33rd | Indalecio Liévano | Colombia | |
1983 | 38th | Jorge E. Illueca | Panama | |
1988 | 43rd | Dante M. Caputo | Argentina | |
1993 | 48th | Samuel R. Insanally | Guyana | |
1998 | 53rd | Didier Opertti | Uruguay | Also chaired the 10th emergency special session of the General Assembly |
2003 | 58th | Julian Robert Hunte | Saint Lucia | |
2008 | 63rd | Miguel d’Escoto Brockmann | Nicaragua | |
2013 | 68th | John W. Ashe | Antigua and Barbuda | |
2018 | 73rd | María Fernanda Espinosa | Ecuador | |
Future | ||||
2023 | 78th | TBD | TBD | |
2028 | 83rd | TBD | TBD | |
2033 | 88th | TBD | TBD |
Timeline of membership
As the Latin American and the Caribbean changed significantly over time, the number of its members had also changed.
Years | Number of members | Notes |
---|---|---|
1966-1973 | 24 | Argentina, Barbados, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Cuba, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Guyana, Haiti, Honduras, Jamaica, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Trinidad and Tobago, Uruguay, Venezuela |
1973-1974 | 25 | Bahamas |
1974-1975 | 26 | Grenada |
1975-1978 | 27 | Suriname |
1978-1979 | 28 | Dominica |
1979-1980 | 29 | Saint Lucia |
1980-1981 | 30 | Saint Vincent and the Grenadines |
1981-1983 | 32 | Antigua and Barbuda, Belize |
1983-Present | 33 | Saint Kitts and Nevis |
See also
Role
The Group plays a major role in promoting the region's interests. It provides a forum for Member States to exchange opinions on international issues, carry out follow-up on the topics that are being discussed in international organisations, build common positions on complex issues and prepare statements reflecting the joint position of the Group. [1] [13]
However, most importantly, the Group allows for the discussion and coordination of support for candidates for different United nations organisations from the region. [2]
Regular meetings of the Group take place in Geneva. The most common topics discussed at these meetings are human rights, environment, intellectual property, labour rights, trade and development and telecommunications. [1]
Locations
The Group maintains various offices across the globe: [1]
-
Rome
- The two offices in Rome focus on bilateral and multilateral issues, particular those of the United Nations agencies based in Rome.
-
Vienna
- The office in Vienna focuses candidate memberships to the Group. It also deals with issues relating to: the United Nations Office at Vienna , the International Atomic Energy Agency , the Preparatory Commission for the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty Organization , the United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs and the United Nations Industrial Development Organization . The office also acts as the Group's liaison to the Group of 77 and China and the Non-Aligned Movement
-
New York
- The office in New York deals primarily with candidacy issues and other general topics.
References
- 1 2 3 4 "Latin American and Caribbean Group (GRULAC)" . Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Colombia . Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Colombia. n.d . Retrieved 28 February 2019 .
- 1 2 Agam, Hasmy; Sam Daws; Terence O'Brien; Ramesh Takur (26 March 1999). What is Equitable Geographic Representation in the Twenty-First Century (PDF) (Report). United Nations University . Retrieved 27 February 2019 .
- ↑ "United Nations Regional Groups of Member States" . United Nations Department for General Assembly and Conference management . United Nations. n.d . Retrieved 28 February 2019 .
- ↑ United Nations Handbook 2018–19 (PDF) (56 ed.). Wellington: Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade of New Zealand. 2018. pp. 15–17. ISSN 0110-1951 .
- ↑ "Current Members" . United Nations Security Council . United Nations. n.d . Retrieved 28 February 2019 .
- ↑ "Brasil no CSNU" . Ministério das Relações Exteriores . <! --Not stated-->. n.d . Retrieved 14 February 2022 .
- ↑ "Members" . United Nations Economic and Social Council . United Nations. n.d . Retrieved 26 February 2019 .
- ↑ "General Assembly Elects 19 Economic and Social Council Members to Terms Beginning 1 January 2020, Adopts Resolution Commemorating Signing of United Nations Charter" . United Nations Meetings Coverage & Press Releases . United Nations. 14 June 2019 . Retrieved 1 January 2020 .
- ↑ "Current Membership of the Human Rights Council, 1 January - 31 December 2019 by regional groups" . United Nations Human Rights Council . United Nations. n.d . Retrieved 26 February 2019 .
- ↑ "General Assembly Elects 14 Member States to Human Rights Council, Appoints New Under-Secretary-General for Internal Oversight Services" . United Nations Meetings Coverage & Press Releases . United Nations. 17 October 2019 . Retrieved 1 January 2020 .
- ↑ Wanza, Serah N. (27 November 2017). "What Are The Five Regional Groups of the United Nations?" . Worldatlas . Worldatlas . Retrieved 26 February 2019 .
- ↑ "Past Presidents" . United Nations General Assembly . United Nations. n.d . Retrieved 27 February 2019 .
- ↑ "Group of Latin American and Caribbean Countries in the United Nations (GRULAC)" . Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations . Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. n.d. Archived from the original on 25 October 2014 . Retrieved 28 February 2019 .