Community of Latin American and Caribbean States CELAC

The Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC) is a regional bloc of 33 states that fosters political, economic, social, and cultural integration among Latin America and the Caribbean. As a multilateral organization that focuses on cooperation free from external hegemony, CELAC represents an unmatched platform for collective action by the region on current issues. This year, CELAC will meet to discuss two related crises: the region’s susceptibility to natural disasters and the pressing imperative to improve maritime security. With either topic, delegates will have to balance national interests and collective action, developing solutions that are both practical and principled.

Topic A: Resistance and Relief to Natural Disasters
The Latin American and Caribbean regions are familiar with the fury of nature. Hurricanes and floods, rising sea levels, and droughts caused by climate are regular occurrences, but effective response is hampered by economic disparities, dispersed infrastructure, and uneven coordination. This topic encourages delegates to explore the avenues through which the member nations of CELAC can build stronger, regionally coordinated disaster resistance strategies as well as disaster relief strategies.

Delegates may talk about improved early warning systems, joint simulation exercises, or proposals for a CELAC-wide disaster response force under mechanisms like the Caribbean Disaster Emergency Management Agency (CDEMA). More long-term solutions—like climate-resilient infrastructure, new insurance mechanisms, and sustainable international financing—will also be discussed. Delegates should also expect to face tensions on how to equitably allocate resources, the level of international involvement, and how smaller nations can maintain sovereignty while participating in regional initiatives.

Topic B: Maritime Security and Anti-Trafficking Cooperation
With extensive coastlines and strategic shipping lanes, Latin American and Caribbean countries are coming under increasing threat from illegal maritime activity, including drug trafficking and illegal fishing. Maritime security is not just a problem for law enforcement; it’s a matter of sovereignty, regional stability, and human rights. Delegates will discuss how CELAC can improve intelligence sharing, initiate joint patrols, and modernize naval capability without opening the door to excess on the part of foreign powers.

Recommendations may vary from instituting a regional CELAC maritime enforcement agency, harmonizing port security protocols, or crafting legal frameworks that fight drug trafficking while protecting vulnerable populations. Because drug trafficking is often an outgrowth of economic desperation, talks will likely circle back to more proximate structural issues—unemployment, migration, and climate displacement.

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