Members of the Parlatino Boards of Directors met virtually on Monday, February 15, 2021. PL Photo.

Panama, February 16 (RHC)-- The Latin American Parliament (Parlatino) called on Monday to revitalize the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC) and the immediate suspension of any sanctions, embargoes, and commercial, economic, and financial blockades.

A declaration of the Board of Directors of the regional legislative included the need to apply these and other actions to face 'the global emergency caused by the Covid-19 pandemic' and the need to guarantee, in the short term, free vaccines for all Latin Americans and Caribbeans.

The Parlatino highlighted the governments' role in the economic activation and 'the working conditions of dignity so that the citizens have an income that allows them to survive the restrictions imposed by the states of the sanitary emergency,' said the document.

It also urged the States to guarantee access to essential supplies such as food, medicines, and energy while expressing concern about connectivity when education is virtual in part of the countries, a situation that it predicted would continue during 2021.

"We affirm that it is essential to address the immediate needs of women who are at the forefront of the response to Covid-19," said the declaration, which also called for addressing the economic autonomy of women and problems such as physical and sexual violence.

In semi-virtual sessions, the Parlatino approved the Model Law on Community Water and Sanitation Systems, with the support of Mexico and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), a legal instrument that regulates the 'human right to water and sanitation'.

Within the framework of the political dialogue promoted by the 'Mesoamerica without Hunger Amexcid-FAO' program, the institutions involved submitted the proposal to five regional parliament committees, which created a working group to follow up on the code's legislation.