Declaration of Port of Spain on the occasion of the Fourth Summit of Heads of State and Government of the Caribbean Community

WE, the Heads of State and Government of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) and of the Republic of Cuba, meeting in Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago, on 8 December 2011 on the occasion of the Fourth CARICOM-Cuba Summit;

Recalling the Declaration of Havana adopted on the occasion of the First Summit commemorating the historic establishment of diplomatic relations between the then independent Member States of the Caribbean Community and the Republic of Cuba and, subsequently, the Bridgetown and Santiago de Cuba Declarations which have guided the evolving partnership between the CARICOM family of nations and the Republic of Cuba;

Reiterating our firm commitment to the principles and purposes enshrined in the Charter of the United Nations, to multilateralism and to the fundamental principles of international law, including respect for the sovereign equality of States, non-intervention and non-interference in domestic affairs, prohibition of the threat or the use of force in international relations, respect for territorial integrity, the peaceful settlement of disputes and the sovereign right of the citizens of every country to freely determine their political system and institutions, in peace, stability and justice; Recognising the Republic of Cuba as an integral part of our vibrant and diverse Caribbean region and our shared identity, as well as the need for a collaborative approach in the promotion and protection of our common values, objectives and interests in various regional and international fora;

Reaffirming our shared conviction that places the human person at the centre of the development process;

Renewing our unwavering commitment to South-South cooperation and regional cooperation specifically as one of the central strategies for confronting the challenges to the sustainable development and welfare of our peoples posed by the volatility of the current international environment particularly in the areas of food security, nutrition and energy;

Celebrating the achievements thus far in our enhanced partnership through cooperation in education, health, medicine, culture, sports, trade and other areas of mutual interest for the benefit of our populations;

Cognisant of the ever-present challenges to the well-being of our populations posed by the prevalence of HIV/AIDS and non-communicable diseases in the Caribbean;

Cognisant also of the vulnerability of the region to natural disasters, adverse weather patterns, climate change and external economic shocks;

Desirous of a favourable and substantive outcome of the 17th Conference of Parties (COP 17) of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change in Durban, South Africa, 28 November – 9 December 2011, that meets the expectations of AOSIS Member States and of CARICOM and the Republic of Cuba in particular;

Noting with deep concern the continued threats posed by the illegal trade in narcotics and small arms and light weapons, the growing phenomenon of trafficking in persons and the consequent impact that these phenomena have on development efforts and social welfare of the people of the region;

Reaffirming our strong rejection of the unjust and cruel economic, commercial and financial embargo against the Republic of Cuba, and the extraterritorial measures aimed at extending the reach of the embargo to include third countries;

Viewing with concern the lack of real progress in the conclusion of the Doha Development Agenda and the attendant challenges faced by developing countries of the Caribbean in their efforts to participate fully and effectively in the process geared to the establishment of a rules-based fair trading system which takes full account of their special development needs;

Recognising the continuing impact of the global financial and economic crisis on the countries in the Caribbean;

Reaffirming our commitment to the process of integration and unity of Latin America and the Caribbean, and to active participation of the Caribbean countries in this regard.

Recognising the need to rationalise our efforts and to optimise the use of resources in our participation in regional integration processes and development fora, and to optimize our participation in the Association of Caribbean States and the Caribbean Development and Cooperation Committee (CDCC) of the United Nations Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC), among others, in this regard;

Reiterating that each country has the sovereign right to determine its own development priorities and strategies and calling upon the international community, in particular donor countries, to categorically refrain from imposing any conditionality in the provision of development assistance without reference to recipient countries;

Conscious of the need for the sustained engagement of the region in support of the Government and people of Haiti to fully recover from the catastrophic earthquake of January 2010 and to embark on a path of sustainable development, with due regard to the Haitian Government priorities and the needs of its people;

Welcoming the opportunity afforded by this Fourth CARICOM–Cuba Summit for focused dialogue and the adoption of strategies that serve to further enhance the CARICOM – Cuba partnership: in the areas of Sustainable Development, Regional Integration, Illicit Trafficking in Drugs and Small Arms, Haiti and CARICOM-Cuba Cooperation.

REAFFIRM our shared conviction that the CARICOM – Cuba Summit process continues to be the optimal forum for coordinating joint action on national development efforts and the pursuit of our common interests within the context of wider cooperation and integration processes;

EMPHASIZE that the cooperation between Cuba and the countries of the Caribbean Community in numerous fields such as health, education, sports and training of human resources, has effectively contributed to the progress towards the achievement of our sustainable development objectives and the greater wellbeing of our peoples. In this regard, express profound appreciation for the Cuban proposal on areas for cooperation with CARICOM in nine specific areas, namely: the creation of a Training Centre for the Treatment of Physical Disabilities to assist physically challenged children and youths; the creation of a Caribbean Regional School of Arts; technical assistance to the Caribbean Regional Information and Translation Institute (CRITI); technical assistance for the recovery of banana crops; technical assistance for the restoration of fishing in Caribbean countries; technical assistance for the treatment and purification of water and the construction of dams; support to the sugar industry mainly in Belize, Guyana, Jamaica and Trinidad and Tobago; the construction and repairing of airports, bridges, docks, highways and infrastructure, and regional cooperation to cope with natural disasters;

AGREE to intensify our efforts aimed at the eradication of poverty and social exclusion which must be tackled frontally if we are to achieve our development objectives;

RECOGNISE the urgent need to work together with like-minded countries to combat speculation in the trade of agricultural and food products which increases prices, and to pursue our attempts to guarantee the food security and adequate nutrition of our people through policies that facilitate finance and investment flows to the sector, and emphasize cost efficient production;

WELCOME the successful outcome of the Caracas Summit, on 2 -3 December 2011, which represented an historic occasion for the launching of the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC) as a mechanism fully inclusive and representative of the region;

REAFFIRM our commitment to the process of integration and unity of Latin America and the Caribbean and the need to ensure that the interests of the Caribbean region are duly accommodated in the process going forward;

WELCOME the election of Cuba to the Presidency and Pro Tempore Secretariat of the CELAC in 2013, as decided at the Caracas Summit;

EMPHASIZE that Health and Wellness lie at the core of the quality of life of each individual and recommit to promote the adoption of healthy lifestyles as well as access to high quality health services including affordable medicine which are critical to the achievement of our economic and social objectives;

ACKNOWLEDGE HIV/AIDS as a continuing major threat to the future of our nations and to sustainable human development in the Caribbean Region, and pledge to further enhance our collaboration to respond to this pandemic. In this regard, we celebrate the contribution of the Pan Caribbean Partnership Against HIV/AIDS (PANCAP), which has earned the accolade of an international best practice by the UN in the fight against the disease and note with satisfaction its achievements as the partnership celebrated this year the 10th Anniversary of the signing of the PANCAP Commitment;

EMPHASIZE also, the need to redouble efforts to implement the commitments made in the Political Declaration on HIV and AIDS: Intensifying our Efforts to Eliminate HIV and AIDS, adopted at the High-Level Meeting of the United Nations General Assembly on HIV/AIDS held in June 2011, with a view to, inter alia, removing before 2015, obstacles which limit the capacity of low and middle income countries to access resources to provide affordable and effective HIV prevention and treatment products;

NOTE with deep concern the impact of NCDs on our societies and welcome the adoption of the Political Declaration of the High-level Meeting of the General Assembly on the Prevention and Control of Non-Communicable Diseases held in New York in September 2011, and emphasise the need to strengthen action and partnerships aimed at realising the commitments contained therein. In this regard, we reaffirm our commitment to addressing four (4) Diseases: Diabetes, Cardiovascular Diseases, Chronic Respiratory Illnesses and Cancer; four (4) Risk Factors: Tobacco, Diet, Physical Inactivity and Inappropriate Alcohol use and four (4) Strategic Approaches: Risk Factor Reduction, Health System Reform, Equitable Access to Effective Affordable Medications and improving Surveillance, and Programme Monitoring and Evaluation. WELCOME also the entry into force of the Inter-Governmental Agreement (IGA), establishing the Caribbean Public Health Agency (CARPHA) which is to be headquartered in Trinidad and Tobago, and applaud this initiative which is expected to highlight the opportunity costs of pursuing public health functions in a consolidated way.

NOTE with equal concern that the illicit trafficking in narcotic drugs and psychotropic substances through the Caribbean and related activities continue to stymie our efforts at sustainable development and social welfare of the people of the region. This nefarious scourge continues notwithstanding our best efforts and results in a burdensome drain on our limited resources;

RENEW our commitment to cooperate in the international struggle against these phenomena, in accordance with the purposes and principles on the Charter of the United Nations as well as other principles adopted by the U.N. General Assembly and contained in the provisions of the international conventions and agreements to guide international cooperation in this matter;

EXPRESS our concern at the prevalence of illegal trade in Small Arms and Light Weapons , their use in perpetrating acts of crime and violence in the region, and the attendant effects, including loss of life and widespread human suffering, We therefore, pledge to take all necessary measures to ensure full compliance with the 2001 Programme of Action to Combat and Eradicate the Illicit Trade in Small Arms and Light Weapons, including through the development and implementation of national action plans to combat the illicit trade in small arms and light weapons. To this end, we look forward to the convening of the 2012 Review Conference on the UN Programme of Action which will seek to further strengthen the Instrument with a view to buttressing our efforts to combat this scourge;

LOOK FORWARD to the negotiation of the Arms Trade Treaty at the UN Conference on Arms Trade Treaty to be held in 2012. We emphasize that any future Arms Trade Treaty must be focused on the prevention of and fight against illicit trade in arms and cannot be discriminatory or selective. That instrument must fully respect the principles and purposes of the Charter of the United Nations, including non-interference in the internal affairs of States, as well as respect for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of all States. Likewise, it is indispensable that the future Treaty does not affect or restrict in any way the right of States to self-defence, in accordance with article 51 of the UN Charter;

RECOGNIZE that despite our strongest commitment to fight the illegal trade in drugs and arms smuggling, the success of our efforts is being frustrated by the increasing demand of illegal drugs in the major consuming countries, and by the failure in those countries to also control the supply of small arms and light weapons;

EMPHASIZE our strong commitment to combating the crime of trafficking in persons, building on already implemented policies of prevention, prosecution and victim protection and based on a comprehensive international approach in the countries of origin, transit and destination that includes measures to prevent such trafficking, to punish the traffickers and to protect the victims. We therefore reiterate our deep concern over the unjust, unilateral categorization of selected Caribbean countries against which sanctions are imposed;

REAFFIRM the strong and unequivocal condemnation of terrorism in all its forms and manifestations, as well as all acts, methods and practices of terrorism wherever, by whomever, against whomsoever committed, including those in which States are directly or indirectly involved. In this context, recall the Bridgetown Declaration on Terrorism, adopted at the Second Cuba–CARICOM Summit, which recognized that the Government of Venezuela has requested the extradition of Luis Posada Carriles, one of the perpetrators of the sabotage of a Cubana de Aviación aircraft in mid-flight near Barbados, and urged the Government of the United States of America to consider favourably this request, to ensure that he is brought to justice on charges of terrorism, in accordance with its obligations under international law and its national legislation;

20. REAFFIRM that the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) is the primary intergovernmental forum for negotiating the global response to climate change. An appropriate response to this challenge should address mainly the roots of the problem and not only the consequences, as well as respect the principles of the Convention, in particular the principle of common but differentiated responsibilities and the States respective capacities. In this sense, underline the importance of mitigation as part of a balanced and ambitious outcome of international negotiations on Climate Change, including a decision on establishing the second commitment period under the Kyoto Protocol.

21. RECOGNISE the importance of the UN Conference on Sustainable Development Rio+20, to be held in Brazil in June 2012, which provides an opportunity for a serious and inclusive reflection on the systemic problems of the international economic order, and emphasize the need for a more integrated approach of the three pillars of sustainable development, taking into consideration the negative impact of human activities in ecosystems dynamics and functioning; URGE the International Community to fully address the special development concerns of low lying coastal and Small Island developing States at the United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development – Rio + 20 in June 2012 in Brazil;

RECOGNIZE the critical importance of sound environmental management in the region and commit our Governments to strengthen the protection of the environment and the sustainable use of our natural resources, especially our precious and unique shared resource, the Caribbean Sea. In this regard, we applaud the important work being done by the Caribbean Sea Commission of the Association of Caribbean States and affirm our desire for an enhanced role for the Commission in the pursuit of its objectives;

NOTE that the global financial and economic crisis is not over and that recovery is uneven and uncertain and in this regard, reiterate that the systemic problems facing the global economy have to be resolved, including through the full accomplishment of a fundamental reform of the global financial system and architecture;

REJECT outright pronouncements by one of the leaders at the recent G-20 Summit Press Conference pillorying certain CARICOM States as “Tax Havens”. This indiscriminate characterization was at variance with the spirit conveyed in the Official Declaration of the G20, which had applauded the efforts made by the CARICOM States identified to ensure that their legal and regulatory framework was in compliance with the global standard. It has had the further effect of undermining access to banking and finance as well as the competitive advantage of Caribbean countries in the area of financial services;

Agree to engage the President of Haiti, His Excellency Mr. Michel Martelly and the new Government of Haiti, at the earliest possible opportunity, with a view to determining the priorities of the new administration and the assistance that could be provided going forward.

EMPHASIZE the critical importance of the international community making good on its pledges to the reconstruction and development of Haiti and commit to work together on the promotion of a global effort of cooperation that takes into account the difficult conditions and special features of that Caribbean nation, and leads to significant contributions in financial, material and technological resources for its development, reconstruction and rehabilitation, under the guidance and leadership of the Haitian government and the principle of full respect for its sovereignty;

UNDERSCORE the importance of our friendly collaboration with the Republic of Cuba which is an integral part of our vibrant and diverse Caribbean region;

STRONGLY CONDEMN the unilateral and extraterritorial application of coercive laws and measures contrary to international law, the United Nations Charter and to the principles of free navigation and trade in the world, and URGE the Government of the United States of America to heed the overwhelming call of the members of the United Nations and to lift with immediate effect the unjust economic, commercial and financial embargo imposed against the Republic of Cuba;

RENEW our commitment to the strengthening of trade and economic cooperation between both parties and, in this regard, we pledge to redouble our efforts towards the full implementation of the CARICOM-Cuba Trade and Economic Cooperation Agreement;

EXPRESS our appreciation and gratitude to the Honourable Kamla Persad-Bissessar, Prime Minister, and to the Government and People of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago, for the warm welcome and hospitality extended during the Fourth Summit of Heads of State and Government of the Caribbean Community and of the Republic of Cuba;

DECIDE to convene the Fifth CARICOM-Cuba Summit in Cuba on 8 December, 2014;

ADOPTED at Port-of-Spain, Trinidad and Tobago, on the 8th day of December 2011.