Foreign Minister Félix Plasencia calls for stronger regional cooperation, economic integration and joint responses to emergencies.

Venezuela has called for the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC) to become a mechanism capable of delivering concrete results for the region’s populations, as member states met in New York alongside the 81st session of the United Nations General Assembly.

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Speaking at a CELAC ministerial meeting, Venezuelan Foreign Minister Félix Plasencia González said the bloc should move beyond political dialogue and focus on improving living conditions, strengthening cooperation during emergencies and advancing sustained economic and productive integration.

Plasencia said peace and diplomacy must remain central to regional cooperation, arguing that stability and understanding among member states are essential to achieving shared development goals and turning integration into a practical reality.

The meeting also addressed emergency cooperation, development financing and economic disparities across Latin America and the Caribbean. Venezuela argued that regional integration should help reduce structural gaps and strengthen joint productive capacity, particularly in strategic sectors.

Text Reads: Venezuela urges transforming CELAC into a tool for concrete results for the region The meeting takes place within the framework of the participation of its member countries in the 81st session of the United Nations General Assembly.

Speaking on behalf of Venezuelan acting president Delcy Rodríguez, Plasencia thanked Caribbean countries for the solidarity they expressed with Venezuela following the earthquakes that struck the country on June 24.

He said Venezuela would remember the support as an expression of regional friendship and reiterated Caracas’ support for a CELAC centered on peace, dialogue, integration and cooperation.

Plasencia also called for the bloc to use its diversity as a strength and turn areas of common ground into concrete outcomes for its populations rather than leaving them as declarations without an impact on people’s daily lives.

The New York meeting brought together CELAC foreign ministers as member states participated in the 81st session of the UN General Assembly. The concurrent gatherings provided an opportunity for regional governments to coordinate positions on global issues and discuss the need for Latin America and the Caribbean to maintain a distinct voice in international forums.

Venezuela said CELAC’s integration efforts should strengthen cooperation among member states and translate shared priorities into concrete results for the people of Latin America and the Caribbean.

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