Latin American and Caribbean Group
United Nations regional group
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Group of Latin America and Caribbean Countries, or GRULAC, is one of the five United Nations Regional Groups composed of 33 Member States from Central and South America, as well as island nations in the Caribbean. Its members compose 17% of all United Nations members.[1][2]
| |
| Abbreviation | GRULAC |
|---|---|
| Formation | 1945 |
| Type | Regional Group |
| Legal status | Active |
 Politics portal | |
The Group, as with all the regional groups, is a non-binding dialogue group where subjects concerning regional and international matters are discussed. Additionally, the Group works to help allocates seats on United Nations bodies by nominating candidates from the region.[3][4]
In 1985, the group was known as the Latin American Group.[5][6] Starting in 1986, the name Latin American and Caribbean Group is used in statements by the group Chair.[7][8]
Member States
The following are the Member States of the Latin American and Caribbean Group:[9][10]
Antigua and Barbuda
Argentina
Bahamas
Barbados
Belize
Bolivia
Brazil
Chile
Colombia
Costa Rica
Cuba
Dominica
Dominican Republic
Ecuador
El Salvador
Grenada
Guatemala
Guyana
Haiti
Honduras
Jamaica
Mexico
Nicaragua
Panama
Paraguay
Peru
Saint Lucia
Saint Kitts and Nevis
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines
Suriname
Trinidad and Tobago
Uruguay
Venezuela
Representation
Security Council
The Latin American and Caribbean Group currently holds two seats on the Security Council, both non-permanent. The current members of the Security Council from the Group are:[11][12]
Economic and Social Council
The Latin American and Caribbean Group currently holds 10 seats on the United Nations Economic and Social Council. The current members of the Economic and Social Council from the Group are:[13][14]
Human Rights Council
The Latin American and Caribbean Group currently holds eight seats on the United Nations Human Rights Council. The current members of the Economic and Social Council from the Group are:[15][16]
Presidency of the General Assembly
Every five years in the years ending in 3 and 8, the Latin American and Caribbean Group is eligible to elect a president to the General Assembly.[17]
The following is a list of presidents from the Group since its official creation in 1963:[18]
| Year Elected | Session | Name of President | Country | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1963 | 18th | Carlos Sosa Rodríguez |  Venezuela | |
| 1968 | 23rd | Emilio Arenales Catalán |  Guatemala | |
| 1973 | 28th | Leopoldo Benítes |  Ecuador | Also chaired the sixth special session of the General Assembly |
| 1978 | 33rd | Indalecio Liévano |  Colombia | |
| 1983 | 38th | Jorge E. Illueca |  Panama | |
| 1988 | 43rd | Dante M. Caputo |  Argentina | |
| 1993 | 48th | Samuel R. Insanally |  Guyana | |
| 1998 | 53rd | Didier Opertti |  Uruguay | Also chaired the 10th emergency special session of the General Assembly |
| 2003 | 58th | Julian Robert Hunte |  Saint Lucia | |
| 2008 | 63rd | Miguel d’Escoto Brockmann |  Nicaragua | |
| 2013 | 68th | John W. Ashe |  Antigua and Barbuda | |
| 2018 | 73rd | María Fernanda Espinosa | Ecuador | |
| 2023 | 78th | Dennis Francis |  Trinidad and Tobago | |
| Future | ||||
| 2028 | 83rd | TBD | TBD | |
| 2033 | 88th | TBD | TBD | |
Timeline of membership
| Years | Number of members | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 1946-1962 | 20 | Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Cuba, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Haiti, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Uruguay, Venezuela |
| 1962-1966 | 22 | Jamaica, Trinidad and Tobago |
| 1966-1973 | 24 | Guyana, Barbados |
| 1973-1974 | 25 | Bahamas |
| 1974-1975 | 26 | Grenada |
| 1975-1978 | 27 | Suriname |
| 1978-1979 | 28 | Dominica |
| 1979-1980 | 29 | Saint Lucia |
| 1980-1981 | 30 | Saint Vincent and the Grenadines |
| 1981-1983 | 32 | Antigua and Barbuda, Belize |
| 1983–Present | 33 | Saint Kitts and Nevis |
The Latin American Group has existed since the founding of the United Nations in 1945, before the UN first met in 1946.[19] It was initially the largest regional group, containing over 43% (20 out of 46) of the electable members.
In 1962, the group had its first non-Latin American member (Jamaica).
Role
The Group plays a major role in promoting the region's interests. It provides a forum for Member States to exchange opinions on international issues, carry out follow-up on the topics that are being discussed in international organisations, build common positions on complex issues and prepare statements reflecting the joint position of the Group.[3][20]
However, most importantly, the Group allows for the discussion and coordination of support for candidates for different United nations organisations from the region.[4]
Regular meetings of the Group take place in Geneva. The most common topics discussed at these meetings are human rights, environment, intellectual property, labour rights, trade and development and telecommunications.[3]
Locations
The Group maintains various offices across the globe:[3]
- Rome
- The two offices in Rome focus on bilateral and multilateral issues, particular those of the United Nations agencies based in Rome.
- Vienna
- The office in Vienna focuses candidate memberships to the Group. It also deals with issues relating to: the United Nations Office at Vienna, the International Atomic Energy Agency, the Preparatory Commission for the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty Organization, the United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs and the United Nations Industrial Development Organization. The office also acts as the Group's liaison to the Group of 77 and China and the Non-Aligned Movement
- New York
- The office in New York deals primarily with candidacy issues and other general topics.