As countries of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) intensify safety measures in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic sweeping the globe, CARICOM Ministers of Agriculture meet 19 March 2020 to chart a food and nutrition security and availability response.
The Ministers will hold a via videoconference anchored at the CARICOM Secretariat in Georgetown, Guyana beginning at 10am (Eastern).
The CARICOM Secretariat will make a presentation on a framework document that deals with the Agri-food response and mitigation.
CARICOM Institutions – the Caribbean Agricultural Research and Development Institute (CARDI), the Caribbean Public Health Agency (CARPHA), the Caribbean Disaster Emergency Management Agency (CDEMA) and the Caribbean Fisheries Mechanism (CRFM), the Caribbean Private Sector Organisation, and the Caribbean Development Bank (CDB) will make presentations at the Meeting.
Partner agencies including the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations (FAO), the Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture (IICA), and the World Food Programme will also field representatives to the Meeting, as will Tropical Shipping, the Caribbean Poultry Association (CPA), other participants from the Region’s private sector, and farmers’ organisations.
The Meeting is expected to conclude with an agreed position on how CARICOM treats with any food security issues that may arise from COVID-19 and to ensure that the necessary support mechanisms are in place both regionally and nationally to safeguard food security for the Region.
