Sao Paulo [Brazil], March 20 (ANI): Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva is set to participate in the CELAC Summit and the inaugural CELAC-Africa High-Level Forum in Bogota on March 21, underscoring Brazil's renewed push for regional integration and stronger Global South cooperation.

The summit of the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States comes at a time of increasing geopolitical fragmentation, with Brazil positioning the forum as a key platform for political coordination and dialogue among Latin American and Caribbean nations. Lula's continued participation in CELAC meetings since 2023 reflects the country's strategic commitment to regional unity.

Key discussions at the summit will focus on economic development, poverty alleviation, food and nutritional security, climate change, and combating organised crime. The forum will also review initiatives such as disaster response mechanisms and proposals for enhanced regional cooperation, including the potential creation of a regional space agency, as reported by Brasil 247.

Colombia, which currently holds the bloc's rotating presidency, will hand over leadership to Uruguay at the end of the summit. The transition is expected to outline new priorities for regional collaboration.

Alongside the summit, Lula will attend the first CELAC-Africa forum, aimed at revitalising ties between Latin America, the Caribbean, and African nations. The meeting is seen as a step toward rebuilding a South-South cooperation framework, focusing on trade, investment, infrastructure, and development partnerships.

With the African Union and CELAC together representing nearly two billion people, the engagement highlights growing interest in expanding economic and diplomatic cooperation between the two regions.

Brazil's foreign policy under Lula has emphasised multilateral engagement and strengthening ties across the Global South. His participation in Bogota is viewed as part of a broader strategy to enhance Brazil's leadership role in shaping a more inclusive and balanced international order. (ANI)