The 10th Summit of Heads of State and Government of the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC) was held this Saturday in Bogota, the capital of Colombia, in an international context marked by the geopolitical tensions that one year of Donald Trump’s presidency in the United States has caused in the global order.
The meeting, which brought together a small group of leaders from Latin America, the Caribbean, and Africa, served as a platform for Colombian President Gustavo Petro to deliver one of the day’s strongest warnings: the arguments of U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio could escalate conflicts in different regions of the world.
His remarks, critical in tone, once again placed Colombia in a position of rhetorical confrontation with Washington and reinforced its push for an alternative multilateralism from the so-called Global South.
Beyond the controversy, the summit was also marked by the conclusion of Colombia’s pro tempore presidency of CELAC, a one-year period during which Petro’s government promoted agendas such as energy integration, dialogue with Africa, and the transition toward more sustainable economic models.
The meeting in Bogota was, at the same time, a moment for assessment and institutional transition, with the organization’s leadership handed over to Uruguay. In a context of low presidential attendance—something that also occurred at last year’s CELAC–European Union summit—but with the presence of diplomatic delegations, the gathering sent both signals of continuity in regional cooperation and evidence of the structural challenges facing the bloc.
Colombia’s Petro at CELAC summit: Rubio’s arguments would escalate global conflicts
The most significant moment of the summit came with the remarks by Gustavo Petro, who openly questioned the geopolitical approach defended by Marco Rubio. The Colombian president warned that these arguments, centered on a more confrontational foreign policy, could “lead the world into a new era of conflicts,” a statement that captures his concern about the direction of international relations amid growing wars and tensions.
During Colombia’s CELAC presidency, the president has insisted on the need to strengthen multilateralism and reduce Latin America’s dependence on major powers. In Bogota, that approach translated into a call to strengthen regional integration as a mechanism to withstand external pressures.
President Petro’s speech resonated with other critical voices at the summit, particularly that of Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, who also warned about the weakening of the international system and the inaction of organizations such as the United Nations.
“Marco Rubio put forward an academic thesis that has been gaining traction in university circles (…) a new era of conflicts marked by war,” Petro said.
In a firm defense of cooperation to overcome conflicts, the Colombian president stated that “the new multilateralism is a meeting of humanity and of the diverse peoples of humanity, seeking common solutions to humanity’s problems through dialogue among civilizations.”
The direct criticism of Rubio also reflects growing ideological tensions between some Latin American governments and political sectors in the United States. For Petro, the risk is not only regional but global: the adoption of more aggressive policies could worsen existing conflicts and open new fronts of instability, a scenario that CELAC seeks to avoid by positioning itself as a “zone of peace.”
Limited attendance and shared leadership
The Bogota summit also highlighted CELAC’s current limitations, significantly weakened by ideological divisions and polarization among the governments of its member countries. Although leaders from all 33 member states were invited, only five heads of state attended: Colombia, Brazil, Uruguay, Burundi, and Saint Vincent and the Grenadines.
This low level of presidential participation once again underscored the organization’s failure to consolidate itself as an effective forum for political coordination.
Even so, the presence of figures such as Lula da Silva added political weight to the meeting. The Brazilian president, considered one of the main drivers of regional integration, warned that CELAC risks weakening if it cannot shield itself from external pressures and internal fragmentation. His remarks reinforced the idea that the organization’s future depends on its ability to build consensus and act in a coordinated manner.
The participation of Burundi’s president, Evariste Ndayishimiye, also stood out in his capacity as pro tempore president of the African Union. His presence underscored one of the summit’s strategic pillars: closer ties between Latin America and Africa.
This South-South dialogue was presented as an alternative to traditional frameworks of international cooperation, at a time when both regions are seeking a greater role on the global stage.
The Handover to Uruguay and the Close of Colombia’s Term
One of the central moments of the day was the handover of the pro tempore presidency of CELAC from Colombia to Uruguay, led by President Yamandú Orsi. The transition marks the beginning of a new phase for the organization, with the challenge of continuing the initiatives promoted over the past year while also overcoming the limitations that have hindered its consolidation.
During its term, Colombia advanced an ambitious agenda that included regional energy interconnection, the strengthening of political dialogue with Africa, China, and the European Union, and the defense of the energy transition as a pillar of development.
However, the results have been mixed. Although progress was made in raising CELAC’s international profile, doubts persist about its ability to translate those efforts into concrete and sustained policies.
The Uruguayan president assumed leadership with a message focused on cooperation, peace, and the need to strengthen the bloc’s institutional framework.
His less confrontational profile could facilitate consensus-building in a region marked by ideological diversity. Nevertheless, he also faces the challenge of maintaining CELAC’s relevance in an increasingly competitive international landscape.
Lula, Africa and the summit’s balance
The final balance of the summit was marked by the interventions of Lula da Silva and the president of Burundi, who agreed on the need to strengthen cooperation within the Global South. Lula insisted that Latin America must consolidate itself as a zone of peace and use CELAC as a platform to discuss key issues such as energy integration, climate change, and cooperation with Africa.
For his part, Ndayishimiye highlighted the importance of building stronger alliances between Latin America and the African continent, two regions that share historical and structural challenges. This rapprochement was one of the most valued elements of the meeting, as it opens the door to a joint agenda that goes beyond traditional frameworks of cooperation.
Taken together, the summit left an ambivalent picture. On the one hand, it reaffirmed the political will to keep the project of regional integration alive and to project it toward other regions of the world. On the other, it exposed CELAC’s internal difficulties, from the low participation of leaders to the lack of effective mechanisms to implement decisions.
The 10th Bogota Summit did not resolve those tensions, but it did make clear that the debate over Latin America’s role on the global stage remains open, as do the—so far unsuccessful—options for shaping a new CELAC capable of overcoming the polarizing differences among its member governments and exercising a continental leadership that it is currently far from being able to provide.
In that context, the remarks by Gustavo Petro on the risk of an escalation of conflicts—as has already occurred in his interventions at the UN General Assembly in recent years—represent a warning about the direction of an international system in crisis and the place the region seeks to occupy within it.