By the Caribbean Journal staff
The new 33-nation Community of Latin American and Caribbean States began its inaugural conference in Caracas today.
A host of Caribbean leaders are attending the Latin American and Caribbean Summit on Integration and Development, including Trinidad Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar and Jamaican Prime Minster Andrew Holness.
The organization includes all nations in the Americas except Canada and the US, along with France and Holland, which have overseas territories and departments in the Caribbean.
Jamaica’s government said it recognised what it called “the important role that CELAC will play in strengthening the voice of the region in the global sphere,” according to a statement from the Prime Minister’s office.
CELAC comes from a merger between the Rio Group and the Latin American Summit on Integration and Development.