President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva said that Latin America and the Caribbean will only solve their problems if they face them together. This Wednesday (28), during the opening of the International Economic Forum – Latin America and the Caribbean 2026, in Panama, Lula highlighted the political and economic assets that can, via regional integration, favor all countries, making them more relevant on the world stage.
“Continuing divided makes us all more fragile”, said the president during the opening session of the forum, citing the “exceptional economic, geographic, demographic, political and cultural credentials” that Latin American and Caribbean countries have “to aspire to a relevant presence in the global context”.
Lula considered that, to achieve these objectives, It is essential that regional leaders are committed to institutional mechanisms that “articulate in a balanced way the different national interests of our region”.
According to Lula, regional leaders lack conviction about the benefits of adopting a more autonomous project of international insertion. In this sense, he suggested that countries in the region take into account the unexplored riches that could guarantee a competitive insertion in the global order.
“We have political and economic assets that can give materiality to the integrationist impulse”, argued the president when listing, among these assets, the energy potential related to oil and gas reserves, hydroelectricity, biofuels, and energy generated from nuclear, wind and solar matrices.
The president also cited as assets the fact that the the region has the largest tropical forest on the planet; and the varied soil and climate conditions and scientific and technological advances in food production.
“We also gather abundant mineral resources, including critical ores and rare earths, essential for the energy and digital transition”, said the Brazilian president, stating that “critical minerals and rare earths only make sense if they are to enrich our countries, and if we have the courage to build partnerships, generating wealth, employment and development in our countries”.
Lula recalled that, together, The countries in the region form a consumer market with more than 660 million people. Furthermore, he said that there are no serious conflicts between the countries participating in the forum; and that, predominantly, all governments were democratically elected.
“Latin America and the Caribbean are unique. It is up to us to assume that possible integration is based on a plurality of options. Guided by pragmatism, we can overcome ideological differences and build solid and positive partnerships within and outside the region. This is the only doctrine that suits us”, he stated.
“There is no possibility of any country in Latin America, alone, thinking that it will solve the problems. We have 525 years of history. Colonization will often not be due to the interference of another, but in the cultural formation that our people had. We need to change our behavior. Let’s create a bloc. A bloc that can say that we will end hunger in our countries”, he concluded.
As a special guest, the Brazilian president was the second to speak, right after the president of the host country, José Raúl Mulino. The expectation is that Lula will return to Brazil today, at the end of the day.
THE International Economic Forum for Latin America and the Caribbean will continue until the 30th.
