ALBA or ALBA–TCP, formally the Bolivarian Alliance for the Peoples of Our America (Spanish: Alianza Bolivariana para los Pueblos de Nuestra América) or the Bolivarian Alliance for the Peoples of Our America – Peoples' Trade Treaty (Spanish: Alianza Bolivariana para los Pueblos de Nuestra América – Tratado de Comercio de los Pueblos), is an intergovernmental organization based on the idea of political and economic integration of Latin American and Caribbean countries.

Bolivarian Alliance for the Peoples of Our America – Peoples' Trade Treaty
Alianza Bolivariana para los Pueblos de Nuestra América – Tratado de Comercio de los Pueblos (Spanish)
Emblem of ALBA-TCP
Emblem
HeadquartersCaracas
Official languages
  • Spanish
  • English
Member states
Leaders
• Secretary General
Venezuela Félix Plasencia[1]
Establishment
• Cuba–Venezuela Agreement
14 December 2004
• People's Trade Agreement
29 April 2006
Area
• Total
2,513,337[2] km2 (970,405 sq mi)
Population
• 2008 estimate
69,513,221
• Density
27.65/km2 (71.6/sq mi)
GDP (PPP)2008 estimate
• Total
$636.481 billion
• Per capita
$9,156
Currency
Time zoneUTC-4 to -6
Internet TLD

Founded initially by Cuba and Venezuela in 2004, it is associated with socialist and social democratic governments wishing to consolidate regional economic integration based on a vision of social welfare, bartering and mutual economic aid. The ten member countries are Antigua and Barbuda, Bolivia, Cuba, Dominica, Grenada, Nicaragua, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines and Venezuela.[3] Suriname was admitted to ALBA as a guest country at a February 2012 summit.[citation needed]

History

Late Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez, founder of ALBA

The agreement was proposed by the government of Venezuela, led by Hugo Chávez[4] as an alternative to the Free Trade Area of the Americas (FTAA or ALCA in Spanish, an agreement proposed by the United States), which never materialized.[citation needed]

This Cuba–Venezuela Agreement,[5] signed on 14 December 2004, by Presidents Chávez and Fidel Castro, was aimed at the exchange of medical and educational resources and petroleum between the two nations. Venezuela began to deliver about 96,000 barrels of oil per day from its state-owned oil company, PDVSA, to Cuba at very favorable prices. In exchange, Cuba sent 20,000 state-employed medical staff and thousands of teachers to Venezuela's poorest states. The agreement also made it possible for Venezuelans to travel to Cuba for specialized medical care, free of charge.[6][7][self-published source?]

When it was launched in 2004, ALBA had only two member states, Venezuela and Cuba.[7][8] Subsequently, a number of other Latin American and Caribbean nations entered into this 'Peoples' Trade Agreement' (Spanish: Tratado de Comercio de los Pueblos, or TCP), which aims to implement the principles of ALBA. Bolivia under Evo Morales joined in 2006, Nicaragua under Daniel Ortega in 2007, and Ecuador under Rafael Correa in 2009. Honduras, under Manuel Zelaya, joined in 2008, but withdrew in 2010 after the 2009 Honduran coup d'état.[9] The Caribbean nations Antigua and Barbuda, Dominica, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines and Saint Lucia also joined.[10]

Jamaica, at the invitation of Chávez,[11] and Mexico, at the invitation of Ortega,[12] were invited to join the ALBA countries. Chávez also invited the countries of Central America to join ALBA,[13] and invited Argentina to use SUCRE.[14] In the 11th Summit of ALBA in February 2012, Suriname, Saint Lucia and Haiti requested admission to the organization. Haiti was granted the special status of permanent member and the other two countries were named special members, while awaiting their full incorporation.[7]

In July 2013, Chávez was honored posthumously by the nine member countries of the group and special guests Uruguay, Argentina, Brazil, Suriname, Guyana and Haiti at the group's 12th Presidential Summit in Guayaquil, Ecuador.[15]

In December 2014, Grenada and Saint Kitts and Nevis were accepted as full members during the 13th Summit of the Alliance, which occurred in Havana, Cuba.[16]

Ecuador withdrew from ALBA in August 2018.[17] Bolivia's interim government withdrew in November 2019 during the political crisis,[18] but the newly elected government of Luis Arce rejoined following the 2020 Bolivian general election.[19][20]

Amid the international isolation Russia is facing due to the invasion of Ukraine, ALBA invited Russia to participate at the 2023 ALBA Games.[21]

Virtual currency

In October 2009, ALBA leaders agreed at a summit in Bolivia to create a virtual currency, named the SUCRE. "The document is approved," said Bolivian President Evo Morales, the summit host. President of Venezuela Hugo Chávez announced "The sucre [is] an autonomous and sovereign monetary system that will be agreed upon today so that it can be implemented in 2010."[22] As of 2015, the virtual currency is being used to compensate trade between Bolivia, Cuba, Nicaragua, and especially Ecuador and Venezuela.[7]

Summits of heads of state and government

Summit
Date
Location
Country
Decisions
I Ordinary14 December 2004Havana  CubaFounding summit of ALBA. Cuba-Venezuela Agreement signed by presidents Hugo Chávez and
Fidel Castro.
II Ordinary27–28 April 2005Havana  CubaAttended by presidents Hugo Chávez and Fidel Castro.
III Ordinary29 April 2006Havana  CubaAttended by presidents Hugo Chávez, Fidel Castro and Evo Morales from Bolivia,
who joins the group. The TCP is signed.
IV Ordinary10 January 2007Managua  NicaraguaMeeting coinciding with inauguration as president of Nicaragua of Daniel Ortega, who announces
the entry in the bloc as fourth country member.
V Ordinary28–29 April 2007Barquisimeto  Venezuela
VI Ordinary24–26 January 2008Caracas  VenezuelaDominica joins the bloc.
I Extraordinary22 April 2008Caracas  Venezuela
II Extraordinary25 August 2008Tegucigalpa  HondurasHonduras joins the bloc.
III Extraordinary26 November 2008Caracas  Venezuela
IV Extraordinary2 February 2009Caracas  VenezuelaCelebration of the tenth anniversary of Bolivarian Revolution.
V Extraordinary16–17 April 2009Cumaná  Venezuela
VI Extraordinary24 June 2009Maracay  VenezuelaAntigua and Barbuda, Ecuador and Saint Vincent and the Grenadines join the bloc.
VII Extraordinary29 June 2009Managua  NicaraguaCondemnation of the coup d'état in Honduras and demand of restoration of deposed president
Manuel Zelaya.
VII Ordinary16–17 October 2009Cochabamba  BoliviaThe Unified System for Regional Compensation (SUCRE) is adopted.
VIII Ordinary13–14 December 2009Havana  CubaCelebration of the fifth anniversary of the bloc.
IX Ordinary19 April 2010Caracas  VenezuelaHonduras had left the group.[23]
X Ordinary25 June 2010Otavalo  Ecuador
XI Ordinary4–5 February 2012Caracas  Venezuela
XII Ordinary30 July 2013Guayaquil  EcuadorSaint Lucia joins the bloc.
VIII Extraordinary20 October 2014Havana  CubaSummit to deal with the Ebola crisis.
XIII Ordinary14 December 2014Havana  CubaGrenada and Saint Kitts and Nevis join the bloc. Celebration of the tenth anniversary of the bloc.
IX Extraordinary17 March 2015Caracas  Venezuela
XIV Ordinary5 March 2017Caracas  Venezuela
XV Ordinary5 March 2018Caracas  Venezuela
XVI Ordinary14 December 2018[24]Havana  Cuba
XVII Ordinary14 December 2019[25]Havana  CubaCelebration of the fifteenth anniversary of the bloc.
XVIII Ordinary14 December 2020[26]videoconferenceCelebration of the sixteenth anniversary of the bloc and of the rejoining of Bolivia into it.
XIX Ordinary24 June 2021[27]Caracas  VenezuelaCelebration of the 200th anniversary of the Battle of Carabobo.
XX Ordinary14 December 2021[28][29]Havana  Cuba
XXI Ordinary27 May 2022[30][31]Havana  Cuba
XXII Ordinary14 December 2022[32][33]Havana  CubaCelebration of the eighteenth anniversary of the bloc.
XXIII Ordinary24 April 2024[34]Caracas  Venezuela

Membership

Full members

Common name
Official name
Join date
Population
Area (km2)
E.E.Z + Area (km2)
GDP PPP (US$ bn)
Capital
 Antigua and BarbudaAntigua and Barbuda24 June 200997,118442110,5311.575St. John's
 BoliviaPlurinational State of Bolivia29 April 20069,119,1521,098,58150.904Sucre
 CubaRepublic of Cuba14 December 200411,451,652110,861460,637114.100Havana
 DominicaCommonwealth of Dominica20 January 200872,66075429,7360.977Roseau
 Grenada[3][35]Grenada14 December 2014111,454348.527,7701.467St. George's
 NicaraguaRepublic of Nicaragua11 January 2007[36]6,466,199129,495254,25418.878Managua
 Saint Kitts and Nevis[3][37]Federation of Saint Christopher and Nevis14 December 201454,96126110,2351.087Basseterre
 Saint LuciaSaint Lucia20 July 2013180,87061716,1562.101Castries
 St. Vincent and the GrenadinesSaint Vincent and the Grenadines24 June 2009120,00038936,6911.259Kingstown
 VenezuelaBolivarian Republic of Venezuela14 December 200428,199,825916,4451,387,952374.111Caracas
ALBA–TCP totals10 countries46,166,3891,159,612.52,333,962515.555

Observer members

Common nameOfficial namePopulationCapital
 Haiti[38]Republic of Haiti10,847,334Port-au-Prince
 Iran[38]Islamic Republic of Iran81,672,300Tehran
 Syria[38]Syrian Arab Republic18,284,407Damascus

Former members

Common nameOfficial nameJoin yearWithdrawal yearPopulationCapital
 HondurasRepublic of Honduras200820109,112,867Tegucigalpa
 EcuadorRepublic of Ecuador2009201816,385,068Quito

In addition, Suriname is a "special guest member" that intends to become a full member.[39]

Other ALBA initiatives

Antigua and BarbudaArgentinaBahamasBarbadosBelizeBoliviaBrazilCanadaChileColombiaCosta RicaCubaDominicaDominican RepublicEcuadorEl SalvadorGrenadaGuatemalaGuyanaHaitiHondurasJamaicaMexicoMontserratNicaraguaPanamaParaguayPeruSaint Kitts and NevisSaint LuciaSaint Vincent and the GrenadinesSurinameTrinidad and TobagoUnited StatesUruguayVenezuelaInter-American Treaty of Reciprocal AssistanceCommunity of Latin American and Caribbean StatesLatin American Economic SystemUnion of South American NationsAmazon Cooperation Treaty OrganizationAndean CommunityMercosurCaribbean CommunityPacific AllianceALBACentral American Integration SystemCentral American ParliamentOrganisation of Eastern Caribbean StatesLatin American Integration AssociationCentral America-4 Border Control AgreementUnited States–Mexico–Canada AgreementForum for the Progress and Integration of South AmericaAssociation of Caribbean StatesOrganization of American StatesPetrocaribeCARICOM Single Market and Economy
A clickable Euler diagram showing the relationships between various multinational organizations in the Americasvde
XIV ALBA-TCP summit, 2017

PetroCaribe

Based on the earlier San José Accords (1980) and Caracas Energy Accords (2000) between Venezuela and a number of Caribbean states, Petrocaribe was founded in 2005 to facilitate oil trade under a concessionary financial agreement. The initiative has provided the Caribbean member states with important hydrocarbon resources, which many do not possess on their territories, in exchange for services and goods. In the case of Cuba, a nation largely deprived of oil since the fall of the Soviet Union in 1991, Petrocaribe has provided oil in exchange for medical doctors.[40]

Other energy initiatives

As part of Cuba's efforts to spread its Energy Revolution campaign through ALBA, Cuban social workers traveled to 11 countries in the Caribbean and Latin America to help develop energy efficiency projects in those countries.[41]: 294 

TeleSUR

Launched in 2005, TeleSUR is a media conglomerate that provides news and current affairs broadcasts throughout the ALBA bloc. The program is based on an internet based television channel and is a cooperative effort between the governments of Venezuela, Cuba and Nicaragua.

PETROSUR

PETROSUR is an inter-governmental energy alliance between Venezuelan PDVSA, Argentinean YPF, and Brazilian Petrobras nationalized oil companies. The goal of this initiative is to provide funding for social welfare programs within these nations.[citation needed]

Criticism

In July 2018, President Lenín Moreno of Ecuador distanced himself from ALBA, stating that the organization "has not worked for a while."[42] In August 2018, Ecuador officially withdrew from ALBA.

Karen Longaric, appointed as foreign minister by Jeanine Áñez's interim government, announced the formal departure of the country from ALBA in November 2019 over "interference" in Bolivia's political crisis.[43]

See also

References

External links