3rd Latin American and Caribbean Summit on Integration and Development (CALC) / Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC) – Caracas, December 2 and 3, 2011

President Dilma Rousseff will participate in the 3rd Latin American and Caribbean Summit on Integration and Development (CALC), to be held in Caracas on 2 and 3 December.

The Caracas Summit will usher in the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC), comprising 33 countries. The main goals of CELAC will be the promotion of intraregional cooperation, political concertation and international projection of the region.

The 1st CALC, held on a Brazilian initiative, in 2008, in Bahia, was the first exclusive meeting of all heads of State and Government of Latin America and the Caribbean. In 2010, Mexico hosted the 2nd CALC, when the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC) was created to merge CALC and the Rio Group.

Today, Brazil has resident Embassies in all countries represented in CELAC. Trade flow with the countries of the region increased about fourfold in eight years, between 2002 and 2010. Brazilian trade exchange with South America, Central America, Mexico and the Caribbean reached US$78 billion in 2010. In 2011, until September, trade exchange with the region reached US$69 billion in 2011.