CELAC

On January 9, during the inauguration of Mexico’s pro tempore presidency of the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC), Mexican Foreign Minister Marcelo Ebrard presented the roadmap to guide the bloc’s work during the 2020-2021 period. The Work Plan identifies 14 areas with goals and projects including a proposal to consolidate common purchases and monitor antimicrobial resistance. 

Thus, after the handover ceremony presided by Mexican President, Andrés López Obrador, his government introduced the agenda of proposals to be implemented by Celac during the next two years to delegates from other member countries. 

Although the Plan does not specifically mention medicines purchase, there is a possibility that the acquisition of these inputs can be articulated through the regional bloc. Through international cooperation, the idea for the future is to guarantee better conditions for public procurement in the region, based on a more open and transparent system to achieve favorable conditions in terms of quality, price and financing. In addition, the bloc will seek to create a platform to follow up on the agreements of the WHO Global Plan of Action on Antimicrobial Resistance.

Ebrard stressed that CELAC’s process of dialogue and friendship was intended to unite the region, affirming that “in the framework of the next United Nations General Assembly, scheduled for September, we will submit a working agenda as a bloc.”