The meeting, held at the Irotama hotel, is a space for talks prior to the holding of the IV Celac-EU Summit, which will take place officially on Sunday 9 with the participation of 62 delegations representing both blocs.

According to the minister, it is necessary to eliminate the asymmetries that for a long time characterized the relations between both regions to face urgent challenges that do not admit unilateral responses such as climate change, inequality, forced migration or food security.

“No society, however strong, can solve them alone,” he said.

She also stressed that foreign policy must stop being an exclusionary exercise practiced by elites and that, instead, it must value the contributions and criteria “of women who care for life, of peoples who defend their rivers and ecosystems, of young people who imagine a sustainable future”.

Villavicencio also pondered the significance of the forum, which she emphasized has “the opportunity to write a new chapter based on solidarity cooperation, respect for diversity and commitment to life in all its forms”.

The event was also attended by the European Commissioner for Equality, Preparation and Crisis Management of the European Commission, Hadja Lahbib; and Andrea Remes, representative of the Global Youth Forum.

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