COUNTRY:URUGUAY. 

Twenty-four heads of state and government from the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC) have signed a joint declaration formally requesting that the next United Nations Secretary-General come from the region. The declaration, dated 11 November, was transmitted by Uruguayan Foreign Minister Mario Lubetkin — whose country holds the CELAC pro tempore presidency — to the President of the UN Security Council.

The document argues that “the time has come” for a Latin American or Caribbean national to assume the UN’s top post, citing the principle of equitable geographic distribution and the need to strengthen the organization’s representativeness. The signatories include Argentina, Barbados, Bahamas, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Cuba, Ecuador, Guatemala, Guyana, Honduras, Jamaica, Mexico, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Dominican Republic, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Suriname, Trinidad and Tobago, Uruguay and Venezuela.

The request comes as the Security Council prepares for informal consultations on candidates to succeed António Guterres, whose term ends in late 2026. CELAC members also highlighted the region’s status as a nuclear-weapon-free zone under the Treaty of Tlatelolco and its commitment to peace.

PHOTO SOURCE: AI-GENERATED Author: Tamara Snishchuk.