Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade Minister, Senator the Hon. A.J. Nicholson, is reporting a number of positive developments for Jamaica and the wider region, coming out of the Second European Union/Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (EU/CELAC) Summit.
The summit was held June 10 and 11 in Brussels, Belgium. Minister Nicholson was part of the Jamaican delegation to the forum, which was led by Minister Prime, the Most Hon. Portia Simpson Miller.
Giving a report in the Senate today (June 19), Minister Nicholson said among the outcomes, was the signing of a €346 million programme, to deal with development efforts in the Caribbean.
The deal was inked at a gathering of Heads of State and Government of the Caribbean Forum (CARIFORUM).
The fund will go towards climate change mitigation, sustainable energy and environment, and crime and security initiatives, and allocations to the Caribbean Investment Facility, aimed at stimulating further investment in the region.
“The EU’s commitment to the region is remarkable, as reflected in the fact that outside of the regional programme, the overall EU funding to CARIFORUM for the 2014-2020 period totalled €1 billion,” the Minister informed.
“This is addition to the steadfast support of EU bilaterally, which marks them out as the single largest provider of development assistance to Jamaica,” he added.
He informed that over the past 40 years, Jamaica has received some 1.2 billion Euros in official development assistance via the European Development Fund.
The Minister further noted that the summit addressed elements of important bi-regional relationships, which he said, is a step in the right direction towards strengthening relations on both sides.
Minister Nicolson reported that CARICOM prevailed at the Summit in having closer monitoring by the CARIFORUM and EU, “of the commitments of the Dominican Republic not to engage in mass deportation, or disregard the legitimate right of their nationals of Haitian descent.”
The summit was held under the theme: ‘Europe, Latin America and the Caribbean: Promoting Inclusive and Sustainable Growth by Enhancing the role of Small and Medium Sized Enterprises.’
