Community of Latin American and Caribbean States

The Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC) is a bloc of Latin American and Caribbean states, consisting of 33 countries, and has five official working languages. It is seen as an alternative to the Organization of American States (OAS), and includes all OAS member states (except the United States and Canada) plus includes the nations of Nicaragua and Cuba. Initially proposed on February 23, 2010, at the Rio Group–Caribbean Community Unity Summit, CELAC is seen as the successor of the Rio Group and the Latin American and Caribbean Summit on Integration and Development (CALC). CELAC was created to deepen Latin American integration and to reduce hegemony within the politics and economics of the region. The date of creation was on December 3, 2011, in Caracas, Venezuela, with the signing of the Declaration of Caracas.