CARACAS: Guyana’s Ambassador to Venezuela, Odeen Ishmael, was on October 27 (Tuesday) elected by acclamation as Chairman of the Latin American Council, the political governing body of the Latin American and Caribbean Economic System (SELA).

Ambassador Ishmael will head the Council for the next year and will preside over all forums organised by SELA. This is the first time a Guyanese has been elected to this position.

Ambassador Ishmael’s candidature was proposed by Chile and representatives of 14 other countries made statements of support of his nomination.

The delegates from the 27 member states also elected Guatemala as First Vice-Chairman, Bolivia as Second Vice-Chairman and Cuba as Rapporteur.

The thirty-fifth annual Regular Meeting of the Latin American Council will conclude on October 29. At the start of the preparatory meeting on October 27, the Permanent Secretary of SELA, Ambassador José Rivera Banuet, in a call for regional integration, said: “The destiny of Latin America and the Caribbean is in the integration into the collective strength to develop and make progress that way, throughout the region, and to have a greater role in the international arena”.

Discussions will focus on three main themes: strengthening regional integration with emphasis on its social dimension; expanding the economic and social cooperation between Latin American and Caribbean countries; and furthering coordination and consultation within the region with regard to the international agenda and relations with external powers.

During the Latin American Council Ministerial Stage, which begins on Wednesday, October 28, a “Forum on Convergence and Integration of Latin America on Health” will be convened with the participation of representatives of the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) and the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC).

The meeting will also address various topics related to the better participation of countries in shaping programmes to develop the software and the digitalisation of the various procedures of foreign trade.

SELA is a forum for consultation and coordination that brings together the countries of Latin America and the Caribbean. It was established in 1975 at the initiative of Venezuela and Mexico, and its charter and goals were set by the Panama Convention.