January 28 - 29.— The Third Summit of Heads of State and Government of the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC) was held in Belén, Costa Rica under the theme “Building Together”; with the participation of 22 heads of state and government of the 33 member countries of Latin America and the Caribbean. The final declaration reads, “we reiterate our commitment to the principles of International Law, peace, sustainable development, democracy and respect for human rights, the eradication of hunger and poverty and the fight against inequality, and against all forms of racism, reaffirming our vision of Latin America and the Caribbean as a region of opportunities for all, where social, economic and financial inclusion, tolerance and respect prevail.”
April 9 - 11.—The 7th Summit of the Americas is held in Panama, an event that brought together the Heads of State and Government of the nations of the continent to discuss issues of interest and deal with the challenges facing the region. The Panamanian government extended an invitation to Havana to participate in the summit. On April 11, after more than 50 years, the first meeting between presidents of Cuba and the United States, Raúl Castro and Barack Obama, occurred. The summit did no release a final statement.
July 20.—Diplomatic relations between Cuba and the United States were officially established, with the opening of the Cuban Embassy in the United States, attended by Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodríguez Parrilla. Shortly afterwards, on August 14, the formal opening ceremony of the U.S. Embassy in Havana was held with the participation of U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry.
September 19 - 22.—Pope Francis' visit to Cuba. During his tour of the island, the Head the Catholic Church visited Havana, Holguín and Santiago de Cuba, where he held masses and could appreciate the heartfelt expressions of Cuban culture and patriotism. In addition, he visited the historic leader of the Cuban Revolution Fidel Castro Ruz as well as the President of the Councils of State and Ministers, Army General Raúl Castro Ruz.
October 25.—After the corruption scandal involving President Otto Pérez Molina and Vice President Roxana Baldetti, presidential elections were held in Guatemala. In the first round, Jimmy Morales, candidate for the National Convergence Front (FCN-Nación) and Sandra Torres of the National Unity of Hope Party, won the most votes. The second round was held on October 25, with Morales finishing the winner, with 67.44% of the votes cast. The country is now under the interim government of Alejandro Maldonado, and Morales's inauguration will be held on January 14 next year.
Also on October 25, the first round of presidential elections were held in Haiti to choose a successor to current president, Michel Martelly. Over 100 parties and 53 different presidential candidates stood. Jovenel Moise, of the ruling Tèt Kale Party (PHTK), and Jude Celestin, of the Alternative League for Haitian Progress and Emancipation (LAPEH) obtained the most votes. After allegations of fraud, protests and acts of violence across the Caribbean nation, the second round of the presidential elections, scheduled for December 27, was postponed.
October 27.— The annual report on the need to end the economic, commercial and financial blockade against Cuba was presented at the UN headquarters in New York. The vote saw 191 votes in favor of lifting the blockade, 2 against (Israel and the United States) and no abstentions. Although this vote has been carried out every year since 1992, with overwhelming support for our country, this was the first time it was held following December 17, 2014, when Havana and Washington opened a new chapter in their bilateral history which allowed for the reestablishment of diplomatic relations.
November 22.—A second round of presidential elections was held for the first time in Argentina, in which right-wing candidate Mauricio Macri, of the Cambiemos Party, won by a small margin with 51.40% of the vote against Daniel Scioli, of the ruling Front for Victory. Macri celebrated the victory along with thousands of his followers stating, “all efforts and vitality must be invested in building Argentina, the Argentina we all dream off. Argentina has no time for reprisals or settling of scores.” Macri assumed the presidency of Argentina on December 10.
November 30 - December 12.—The 21st Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP21), was held in Paris. The 195 participating countries and the European Union eventually signed the Paris Agreement, which stresses the need to work to ensure that the global temperature does not rise by more than 1.5 degrees Celsius.
Beginning of December.—Right wing maneuvers against Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff entered a new stage, with further action to initiate impeachment proceedings. The announcement was made by the President of the Chamber of Deputies, Eduardo Cunha, who himself has been implicated in several ongoing corruption cases. However, days later, it emerged that the Brazilian Supreme Federal Court had overturned the first steps taken by the Chamber of Deputies regarding the process that seeks to remove Rousseff.
December 6.—According to the National Electoral Council (CNE), more than 19,496,296 eligible voters went to the polls in Venezuela to exercise their right to elect 167 deputies to the National Assembly for a period of five years from January 5, 2016. The final results of the parliamentary elections gave the opposition coalition, the Democratic Unity Roundtable (MUD), 112 seats and the ruling Great Patriotic Pole just 55. Referring to the results, Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro stated: “We accept them, the constitution and democracy have triumphed.”
December 14.—The government of Juan Manuel Santos and the FARC-EP reached an agreement on reparations and justice for victims of over half a century of armed conflict in Colombia. The deal entitled “Agreement on the Victims of Conflict. Integrated System of Truth, Justice, Reparations, and Non Repetition,” also includes a Special Jurisdiction for Peace, an instrument designed during the talks to deliver post-conflict justice, as well as a Commitment on Human Rights.
On September 23, the two delegations signed a partial agreement on an end to the Colombian conflict, including pre-agreed points, and a system of transitional justice for peace was discussed. A legal response for victims of the armed conflict was also established as a priority.
