The Committee of the Socialist International for Latin America and the Caribbean, meeting in the city of Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, on March 26, records its satisfaction at holding its first meeting of 2023 within the framework of the active electoral agenda of the region for this year.
The delegates and representatives of member parties and guests present also register their fraternal gratitude to the host party, the Partido Revolucionario Dominicano, PRD, for its warm hospitality and fraternity that has ensured the success of this meeting.
The post-pandemic crisis expressed in the inflationary wave that has manifested itself throughout the region, along with the processes of global economic recession, has had dangerous effects for Latin America and the Caribbean expressed in the growth of inequality, social exclusion and the increase in insecurity indices have created the conditions for a dangerous authoritarian drift to begin to be experienced in our countries that threatens the foundations of our democracy.
In its deliberations, the Committee for Latin America and the Caribbean of the Socialist International considers that the strength of the democratic system and the robustness of the institutions of its nations are the best way to confront the phenomenon of authoritarian populism that is beginning to take shape in the region.
In this sense, the Committee considers that our parties in the region should continue to strengthen citizen support and consolidate our electoral advances, since we have more adequate and democratic proposals than those currently raised by populist sectors of varied origin.
A successful democracy also requires the implementation of a sustainable development model that promotes equal opportunities, wealth generation, quality education and health systems to which everyone has free and universal access.
In this regard, the Committee advocates the construction of a new model based on the incentive of research for development that promotes technological innovation and takes advantage of the rise of artificial intelligence, respecting the five ethical principles: transparency, justice and equity, non-maleficence, responsibility and privacy, in such a way that human rights are not violated.
The Committee expresses its solidarity with Haiti and urges the international community to come to its aid to accompany its leadership in building internal consensus that will allow them to return to the path of democratic stability. Insecurity, kidnappings, the presence of criminal gangs that act in total impunity worsen every day and with them the country's humanitarian crisis deepens and thousands of Haitians are encouraged to migrate.
The Committee urges its member parties in Haiti to work in favor of a concerted, inclusive and participatory political solution that assumes the challenge of restoring the democratic legitimacy of its institutions and, in turn, its members commit to closely monitoring the situation and supporting actively initiatives that ensure these objectives.
In the same way, the Committee considers that dialogue and agreement are the most expeditious ways to achieve a peaceful, democratic and electoral solution to the crisis that the Venezuelan people have been suffering for a long time and we express our deep concern for poverty and inequality that affects that country today.
Climate change, as a consequence of global warming, is the most serious threat that weighs on humanity at this time. Latin America and the Caribbean are among the areas most affected globally by the phenomenon and by the consequences that follow from it, such as hurricanes and storms, floods, droughts, water scarcity and degradation of biodiversity, among others. Our Committee reaffirms its commitment to continue joining efforts from the region to promote State policies that contribute to mitigating it.