Within the framework of the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (Celac) Closing Summit, chaired by Colombia, the First Celac–Africa High-Level Forum will be convened in Bogotá from 18 to 21 March this year.
The forum will bring together heads of state and government from Celac member states and 20 African Union countries, as well as ministers, representatives of the financial and business sectors and Regional Economic Communities of the African Union, including the Southern African Development Community (SADC).
Led by Vice-President Francia Márquez, the head of the implementation of Africa Strategy, the Celac-Africa High-Level Forum seeks to contribute to the strengthening of relations between Africa, Latin America and the Caribbean by fostering structured dialogue and consensus on shared priorities. These include numerous topics grouped into three main pillars: South-South Cooperation for Development, Historical Reparation and Ethnic-Racial Justice and Trade and Investment.
The topics will be considered during the high-level plenary meeting among heads of state and government, as well as in meetings of ministers of foreign affairs and other ministerial segments. It is a platform for direct, high-level engagement among participating states.
The Celac–Africa meeting is further expected to explore the establishment of mechanisms to ensure continuity and follow-up in interregional dialogue and cooperation, with a view to strengthening institutional linkages and sustaining political engagement between Celac and African states.
The participation and perspectives of the Southern African region
are expected to be prominently represented, with the anticipated attendance of Cyril Ramaphosa, reflecting South Africa’s leading role and its forthcoming assumption of leadership responsibilities within the SADC.
Colombia and South Africa share convergent views on critical issues for the Global South. This shared approach has been reflected in their recent collaboration in the Hague Group, a group of states engaged in coordinated legal and diplomatic efforts in support of international law and in solidarity with the people of Palestine. South Africa continues to play a constructive and influential role across Africa, Latin America and the Caribbean and the wider international community.
In her address to the Ninth Pan-African Congress in Togo in December 2025, Vice-President Márquez Mina emphasised the importance of enhanced cooperation between Latin America, the Caribbean and Africa in addressing the enduring legacies of colonialism and slavery.
“I feel that our families, broken by colonialism and slavery, are beginning to reconnect. That must be the task of Pan-Africanism.”
The perspective informs the spirit and orientation of the Celac–Africa High-Level Forum and the broader vision for interregional engagement. Colombia reaffirms its commitment to advancing this dialogue in a constructive, inclusive and forward-looking manner.
Maria del Rosario Mina Rojas is the ambassador of Colombia.
Within the framework of the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (Celac) Closing Summit, chaired by Colombia, the First Celac–Africa High-Level Forum will be convened in Bogotá from 18 to 21 March this year. The forum will bring together heads of state and government from Celac member states and 20 African Union countries, as
