Caribbean Community (CARICOM) foreign ministers will meet in the Bahamas this week to discuss the region’s ongoing relations with the United States and its engagement with the United Kingdom after Britain leaves the European Union.
The May 7-8 meeting of the of the Council for Foreign and Community Relations (COFCOR) will be chaired by Bahamas Foreign Affairs Minister Darren A. Henfield.
A statement from the Guyana-based CARICOM Secretariat said that the meeting will also discuss CARICOM-Canada relations and cooperation with multilateral organisations including The Commonwealth, the United Nations, the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC), the Organization of American States (OAS), and the Association of Caribbean States (ACS).
“This meeting will underscore the synergies between Foreign Policy Coordination and Human and Social Development with the Ministers discussing CARICOM’s position on the development of an International Legally-Binding Instrument on the Conservation and Sustainable Use of Marine Biological Diversity of Areas Beyond National Jurisdiction,” the Secretariat said.
It added that attention will also be given to issues relating to reducing CARICOM’s vulnerability to disaster risks and the effects of climate change, resilience financing and sustainable debt management.
Health related issues including the UN General Assembly High-Level Meeting on Tuberculosis in September, and matters concerning the Prevention and Control of Non-Communicable Diseases (NCDs) are also on the agenda.
The ministers will discuss a proposal by St. Vincent and the Grenadines regarding the negotiations for a new agreement between the African, Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) Group and the European Union to replace the Cotonou Agreement that expires in 2020.
The Secretariat said that the meeting will also discuss the region’s participation in the upcoming meetings of the G7 and G20 group of countries as well as the various border issues within the 15-member grouping.
Just another talk shop