(Caribbean Community (CARICOM) Secretariat, Turkeyen, Greater Georgetown, Guyana) – The 12th United Kingdom (UK)-Caribbean Forum ended with the development of a new UK-Caribbean Plan of Action which will guide cooperation and engagement over the next two years.
Held Tuesday 10 March 2026 at Lancaster House, London, the Forum involved Foreign Ministers of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM), United Kingdom, and the Dominican Republic. It was co-chaired by the Minister of Foreign Affairs, International Trade, Industry and Commerce, Consumer Affairs and Economic Development of St Kitts and Nevis, Rt. Hon. Dr. Denzil Douglas, and Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs of the UK, Rt. Hon. Yvette Cooper.
The Forum marked the strengthening of the long-standing partnership, with a focus on deepening economic ties, facilitating trade and investment, strengthening security, advancing climate action, and pursuing financial reform.
During the engagement, CARICOM Foreign Ministers presented unified positions on climate change, calling for an urgent overhaul of the global financial architecture to improve access to climate finance.
The UK reaffirmed its commitment to working with the Region to unlock greater investment for resilience and adaptation. The need for climate smart infrastructure to protect vulnerable island nations from increasingly severe natural disasters was seen as critical by all parties.
Discussions on economic growth focused on creating a more equitable partnership, with emphasis on removing barriers affecting Caribbean professional services under the existing Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA), and the implications of recent visa restrictions on those opportunities.
On the security front, the Forum saw frank exchanges on shared challenges. Ministers pledged increased support for the Gang Suppression Force in Haiti. A new technical cooperation to combat cybercrime and violence against women and girls was also announced, with greater investment pledged for prevention.
The matter of the UK’s colonial legacy, particularly the transatlantic slave trade, delivered an announcement by the UK Government of a new initiative to digitise colonial era records. This initiative is expected to support historical understanding and build the capacity of Caribbean institutions to host, preserve and share their own history.
The 13th UK-Caribbean Forum will be held in 2028 in the Caribbean.
