“Deeply concerned” by the ongoing war in Ukraine, EU, Latin American and Caribbean leaders who met for a two-day joint statement Summit meeting in Brussels, which ended today.

“We are deeply concerned about the ongoing war against Ukraine, which continues to cause enormous human suffering and exacerbate existing weaknesses in the global economy, constrain growth, increase inflation, disrupt supply chains, exacerbate energy and food insecurity, and increase risks to financial stability. In this sense, we support the need for a just and sustainable peace”, reads the joint communique of the EU-CELAC Summit.

In the same statement its leaders EU, Latin America and the Caribbean reiterate their support for the Black Sea Grain Initiative and the UN’s efforts to ensure its expansion, stressing that they support all diplomatic efforts aimed at a just and sustainable peace in accordance with the UN Charter. They also recall the specific national positions as expressed in other forums, in particular the United Nations Security Council and the United Nations General Assembly, including the resolutions of 2 March 2022 and 23 February 2023.

“We reaffirm our commitment to the United Nations Charter and International Law, including the need to respect the sovereignty, political independence and territorial integrity of all nations. It is important to respect international law and the multilateral system that protects peace and stability,” the joint statement said.

In a 41-paragraph declaration, all aspects of the EU’s cooperation with the countries of Latin America and the Caribbean are covered: from trade, to health and tackling all common challenges, such as climate change.

In particular, on the topic of climate change, the joint communique of the EU-CELAC Summit confirms the strong joint commitment of the EU countries and the 26 Latin American and Caribbean countries that participated, to deal with it in an “ambitious” way. Among other things, it is pointed out that the effective implementation of the Paris Agreement should be strengthened, as well as the commitment of countries to the Convention on Biological Diversity, as well as to the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD). In addition, actions and commitments are encouraged for the protection, conservation, restoration and sustainable use of the oceans in view of the 2024 “Our Ocean Conference” to be held in Greece and the third United Nations Conference on Oceans, to be hosted in Nice of France in June 2025.

“We recognize the impact that climate change has on all countries, particularly affecting developing and most vulnerable countries, including Small Island Developing States, the Caribbean, the EU’s outermost regions, overseas countries and territories linked to the European Union and the Mediterranean developing countries”, the joint communique states.

In addition, it highlights the importance of meeting the commitment of developed countries to immediately jointly mobilize $100 billion annually to address climate change in support of developing countries and to double adaptation finance by 2025. It also welcomes the decisions that adopted at COP 26 and COP 27, including a commitment to continue efforts to maintain the 1.5 degree Celsius target and stressing that: “We agree to promote the acceleration of renewable energy deployment and increased energy efficiency at the COP 28”.