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SELA

The Latin American and Caribbean Economic System (SELA) is a intergovernmental regional organization that groups 25 Latin American and Caribbean countries. With headquarters in Caracas, Venezuela, SELA was established on 17 October 1975 by the Panama Convention and its current membership includes Argentina, Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Cuba, Chile, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Guyana, Haiti, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Dominican Republic, Suriname, Trinidad & Tobago, Uruguay and Venezuela.

SELA is primarily aimed at promoting a system of consultation and coordination for the Latin American and Caribbean region to adopt common positions and strategies on economic issues before countries, groups of countries, forums and international organizations, and at fostering cooperation and integration among Latin American and Caribbean nations.

At its XXXI Regular Meeting (21 to 23 November 2005), the Latin American Council, the highest decision-making body of SELA, agreed, by Decision 473, that “the terms ‘Latin America’ and ‘Latin American’, as used in the Panama Convention establishing the ‘Latin American Economic System’ should be interpreted as meaning ‘Latin America and the Caribbean’ and ‘Latin American and Caribbean’, respectively, and that, consequently, the name of the organization should be understood as meaning ‘Latin American and Caribbean Economic System’.

Institutional Documents

Activities

Every year, SELA holds the Latin American Council meeting at the ministerial level, and regularly convenes regional meetings for consultation and coordination with high-level officials of the Member States on issues of common interest within its areas of competence.
SELA organizes meetings of experts to deal with specific issues of the regional and global economic agenda, as well as forums with the participation of governmental and non-governmental representatives.
It maintains close cooperation relations with major inter-governmental organizations, public institutions and private agencies with a regional and international scope.
The organization holds seminars, courses and training workshops on economic and social issues of interest for Latin America and the Caribbean, aimed at high-rank government officials, entrepreneurs, workers, parliamentarians, academicians, and civil society organizations.

Structure of the SELA

THE LATIN AMERICAN COUNCIL

The Latin American Council is the principal decision-making body of SELA. Each Member States has one (1) Representative to this Council, which meets regularly once a year. Its responsibilities include determining the institution’s general policies and formulating specific declarations in the form of Decisions approved on a consensual basis.

PERMANENT SECRETARIAT

The Permanent Secretariat is the technical administrative organ of SELA. It is headed by a Permanent Secretary, who is elected by the Latin American Council for a period of four years. The following are some its functions: to encourage and carry out preliminary studies and take the measures necessary to identify and promote projects of interest to two or more Member States; to propose to the Council programmes and projects of common interest and to suggest ways in which they may be carried out, including meetings of experts and other measures which may better contribute to the attainment of the objectives of SELA and to promote and conclude, subject to the approval of the Council, arrangements with international organizations and agencies, national agencies of Member States and third countries, to carry out studies, programmes and projects, especially those of a regional nature.

Organizational Chart

Legal Framework

Work Areas

ECONOMIC RECOVERY AREA

The COVID-19 pandemic significantly impacted the growth of the region, the paralysis of economic activities as a result of the virus containment measures led to the closure of companies, destruction of jobs, impact on global supply chains and the collapse of markets. regional health systems. It should be noted that countries in the region had been experiencing negative growth rates prior to the arrival of the pandemic, which placed the economies in a much more vulnerable situation. Thus, the region’s average growth was 0.2% in 2019. With the arrival of the pandemic, the regional scenario for 2020 resulted in a contraction of -7.0%. However, the forecast for 2021 is more favourable, the stimulus measures taken by the governments to stimulate key sectors of the economies have had an effect, in this sense the growth rate for the end of the year is estimated at 6.3% according to IMF figures. In this context, the thematic axis: Economic Recovery, contemplates the following goal: Stimulate economic growth by strengthening regional integration processes, contributing to the design of public policies that facilitate trade and promoting the SME business ecosystem.

DIGITISATION AND INFRASTRUCTURE AREA

There are many benefits of the intensive and widespread use of digital technologies. They favor competitiveness, democratize access to information and strengthen the capacities of the public sector, ultimately allowing greater economic growth, higher levels of well-being and better opportunities for all to be achieved. Likewise, investment in infrastructure has multiple channels through which it affects the quality of life of citizens, the productivity of companies and the efficiency of the economy in general. Its specific impact on job creation is especially relevant due to its link with the policy objectives of creating local economic activity, increasing the income of vulnerable populations, and reducing inequality. However, the materialization of these benefits has not been possible given the digital and infrastructure gaps that exclude those who do not have access or skills to take advantage of them. In fact, on a global scale inequalities have deepened, social mobility has stagnated and productivity has weakened. In the specific context of Latin America and the Caribbean, these gaps are especially visible. It is estimated that 32% of the population does not have internet access, 67% of schools do not have sufficient connection speed and 50% of countries do not have an advanced digitization agenda. In general terms, the development of a digital ecosystem is located in an intermediate stage as an expression of the wide range of pending tasks. Similarly, despite the advances in infrastructure investment in public services such as drinking water, sanitation and electricity made in the region, the heterogeneity in access and quality of services is high. For example: despite the fact that drinking water coverage is around 80% in most countries, less than 60% of people choose to drink tap water. For its part, access to electricity service in the region is above 90% on average; however, there is a high disparity in the quality of the service (intermittency) and its access in rural areas.

Permanent Secretary 2025 to 2029

Ambassador Lesly David
Permanent Secretary
Latin American and Caribbean Economic System (SELA)

Ambassador Lesly David holds a bachelor’s degree in international law and a specialisation in Caribbean regional integration from the Universidad de Oriente in Santiago de Cuba.

He has an extensive diplomatic career that includes his work as Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Republic of Haiti to the Republic of Colombia and Concurrent Ambassador to the Republic of Ecuador; as well as Ambassador of the Republic of Haiti to the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela between 2012 and 2024.

His consular career includes a period at the Haitian Consulate in Miami, where he was responsible for cultural, tourism and institutional liaison matters. In addition, he worked as a consultant in public relations and special programmes related to Haitian migrants in Latin America.

Ambassador Lesly David was elected by acclamation as the 13th Permanent Secretary of SELA, within the framework of the XVIII Special Meeting of the Latin American Council of the organisation, held on 16 June this year, for a four-year term from 2025 to 2029.

SELA Coordinators

Gustavo Herrera
Coordinator of Social Development
Latin American and Caribbean Economic System (SELA)

Gustavo Herrera, a Mexican national, has more than fifteen years of professional experience, specifically in the diplomatic and project management fields. He specialises in Latin American Studies. He has coordinated various initiatives to address regional problems and position issues on the international agenda at the regional level for the benefit of Latin American and Caribbean countries.

Gallery of former permanent Secretaries