1. We, the Heads of State and Government of Mexico and the Member States of the Caribbean (CARICOM), gathered together for the first time in the Mexican Riviera Maya on February 21, 2010, confirm our commitment to examining the joint challenges faced by our region.
2. We declare that this first summit will be the starting point for more productive bilateral relations for constructing a new stage of development and shared prosperity, in a framework of justice and equity, on the basis of the valuable contributions and concrete results of the five meetings held by the Mexico CARICOM Mixed Commission.
3. We are determined to combine efforts oriented towards strengthening our democracies and ensuring respect for human rights.
4. We confirm our commitment to coping with common challenges, such as climate change, security and the international financial and economic crises, to improve the quality of life of our peoples.
5. Realizing that the Caribbean region is often affected by natural disasters that have a negative effect on the security and well-being of our citizens, we acknowledge the powerful impact that environmental degradation and climate change have on our people’s standards of living and even on the survival of the countries in the region.
6. We highlight the importance of boosting cooperation for development with the aim of achieving the Millennium Development Goals in the Caribbean region.
7. We confirm our commitment to promoting a successful conclusion to the Doha Round of the World Trade Organization (WTO) with explicit trade measures oriented towards development and bearing in mind the text presented in December 2008.
8. We acknowledge the fact that reinforcing our trade, investment, tourism and cultural relations will contribute to our countries’ sustainable development.
9. In order to increase economic relations between Mexico and CARICOM; we agreed to organize an economic seminar during the second half of this year, organized by CARICOM, to identify business niches and investment opportunities for our countries.
10. We will promote consultations and the exchange of information within the sphere of security, the fight against organized transnational crime and related crimes by taking advantage of the mechanisms and forums established at the regional and multilateral level on this issue.
11. We will continue developing programs for educational, cultural, scientific and technological cooperation in key areas with a long term scope between Mexico and CARICOM’s member states.
12. We endorse the Mexico-CARICOM Technical Cooperation Program and pledge to explore the financial mechanisms for supporting its implementation, including the establishment of a financial Mexico-CARICOM cooperation fund.
13. Acknowledging the importance of youth as the future of our countries, we renew our commitment to giving priority and special attention to the youth in our countries through a coherent, integral, multi-dimensional approach, designed to achieve sustainable social development. At the same time, we hail the efforts and invitation of the Mexican Government to hold the World Youth Conference in August 2010.
14. We express our commitment to ensuring that the main goal of the integration of Latin America and the Caribbean will be to improve the living standards of our peoples and we will work towards the success of the Summit on Latin American and Caribbean Unity, to be held in the Riviera Maya, Mexico on February 22 and 23, 2010. This summit provides an excellent opportunity to demonstrate our regional identity and the convergence of our countries’ aims and aspirations.
15. We agreed to work constructively to strengthen the Association of Caribbean States to collaborate in the fulfillment of its mandate to ensure that it meets the new challenges and cooperation requirements in the Greater Caribbean region.
16. We agreed to hold the Second Mexico-CARICCOM Summit in 2012 in Barbados to follow up the agreements adopted today at the highest level.
17. The Caricom Member states express our gratitude to the Mexican people and government for having hosted this Summit, their generous hospitality and the facilities provided to achieve its successful conclusion.
18. We issue this Declaration, in three original texts in Spanish, French and English, on February 21, 2010.
