Caracas, July 2, 2024.- This Tuesday, a meeting was held in the capital of Venezuela for the creation of the Development Cooperation Agency of the Bolivarian Alliance for the Peoples of Our America – People’s Trade Treaty (ALBA-TCP), including video conferencing for those countries that could not attend in person due to the impact of Hurricane Beryl in the Caribbean.

During his welcoming remarks at La Casona Cultural Aquiles Nazoa, the Executive Secretary of the Alliance, Jorge Arreaza, highlighted the importance – in light of climate change and its consequences – of mobilizing resources for cooperation from the member countries of the regional bloc and other international organizations. “Our Alliance, as President Miguel Díaz-Canel (Cuba) says, has the most humane achievements that can exist in any union mechanism. The number of people who have had eye surgeries, the number of doctors trained, the number of literate individuals, those assisted during disasters, and this has been done over almost 20 years and it is time for that cooperation to take on an organic, institutional form”, he emphasized.

In this regard, he stated that the creation of the Development Cooperation Agency of the Bolivarian Alliance for the Peoples of Our America rules out the generation of new bureaucracy, but rather is a fundamental body to promote integration and humanitarian aid in a real and direct manner, “using the capacities we already have, such as the Bank of ALBA”

He reiterated that it is necessary to take advantage of the Bank of ALBA and a “bank of projects of different scales” in order to address natural emergencies and contingencies that may arise due to environmental disorder.

Arreaza explained that once the agency is established, the Executive Secretary and the Bank of ALBA would be responsible for the operation of this cooperation body: receiving projects, estimates, among other duties.

Finally, the Executive Secretary indicated that the ALBA-TCP Development Cooperation Agency is essential for the liberation of our peoples.

Bank of ALBA: optimization of funds

The President of the Bank of ALBA, Raúl Li Causi, stated that “the ALBA-TCP Development Cooperation Agency is the tool that our leaders have put at the service of the people, of the countries in the bloc, with a focus on the development and implementation of the 2030 ALBA-TCP Strategic Agenda.

Li Causi explained that this includes planning and optimization of funds, support to the Executive Secretariat in fundraising, coordination of humanitarian aids, and technical assistance for project formulation.

He mentioned that the Agency can rely on the Bank of ALBA for fiduciary management of funds, resources, and assets related to cooperation for the benefit of the region.

Li Causi detailed that the Bank of ALBA is willing to finance projects focused on renewable energy, sustainable agriculture, natural resource management, infrastructure, health, technology, digital communication, tourism, among others.

He added that funds can be raised from international organizations such as the United Nations, which has specialized agencies, UNICEF, the World Health Organization (WHO), cooperation agencies, the Development Bank of Latin America and the Caribbean, and the private sector.

ALBA: example of cooperation

Additionally, the Foreign Minister of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, Yván Gil, emphasized that in order to achieve the 2030 ALBA Agenda, it is a priority to establish the ALBA-TCP Development Cooperation Agency.

“Today we would like, first and foremost, to reaffirm ALBA as the regional political space that has made the most progress in cooperation for development, compared to any global experience”, Gil stated.

The Minister for Foreign Affairs of Venezuela is confident that the Agency is capable of attracting resources from major international actors such as China, Russia, and Turkiye.

To conclude, the Vice President for Planning of the Bolivarian country, Ricardo Menéndez, stated that historic times are coming, which is why he considers this Agency to be a cornerstone for facing the challenges of the future and “generating antidotes against the aggressions that our peoples have suffered”.

He affirmed that the ALBA-TCP Development Cooperation Agency is the driving force to create logistics that allow us to face the consequences of climate change, help peoples affected by hurricanes or other natural disasters; but also to define agendas that can provide solutions to all humanitarian issues.