- Honourable Dr Terrence Drew, thank you for being here this morning, Sir
- Right Honourable Dr. Denzil Douglas
- Dr. the Honourable Vince Henderson
- Foreign Ministers of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) and other Heads of Delegation
- Ms. Elizabeth Solomon, Assistant Secretary-General
- Staff of CARICOM and the government of St Kitts and Nevis who are working hard to make this meeting a useful and efficient one
- Special Guests
- Distinguished Delegates
- Representatives of the Media.
It is my distinct pleasure to welcome you to this Twenty-Eighth Meeting of the Council for Foreign and Community Relations (COFCOR). I thank the Right Honourable Dr. Denzil Douglas, and the Government of the People of St. Kitts and Nevis, for the generous hospitality and excellent arrangements in place for this Meeting.
Honourable Minister Douglas, you are assuming the chairmanship of this Council at a time of increasing uncertainty and global challenges. We look forward to your leadership.
Honourable Minister Henderson, thank you for your stewardship as Chair of the COFCOR during the past year. Minister, under your Chairmanship, our Community has garnered support for its interests and has increasingly worked in a coordinated manner.
Chairman, Excellencies, this annual gathering of CARICOM Foreign Ministers presents an opportunity to assess past actions to advance and safeguard our interests, and allows us to examine global developments and dynamics that are impacting our Member States. This includes very real threats to multilateralism, sovereignty, international peace and security, human rights, and international law.
Our review and analysis are therefore vital. We must reinforce our commitment to strategic, coordinated diplomacy; strengthen partnerships with like-minded partners, both long-standing and non-traditional; and remain a vocal proponent for dialogue and multilateral solutions. In a world in which small states struggle to be heard, it is important to ensure we are well-coordinated around our fundamental principles.
CARICOM Heads of Government, in the recent past, engaged with leaders of Canada, Brazil, India, and Saudi Arabia. Several Heads of Government have engaged with the Secretary of State of the US in March, and also this week, articulating matters of strategic interest to the Community. In addition, the Caribbean-Brazil Summit will be held in Brasilia in June.
The Community also looks forward to the second CARICOM-African Union Summit which is programmed to take place on CARICOM-Africa Day, 7 September 2025.
At the level of this Council, later this month the Community will dialogue with Colombia during the Third CARICOM-Colombia Ministerial Meeting. Members of this Council will also be participating in the Ministerial Council of the Association of Caribbean States which is celebrating its 30th Anniversary this year.
Over the next two days of this Meeting, this Council will also be engaging with representatives of Mexico, the Philippines, Germany and Portugal.
Later this year, the Community will be participating in several multilateral engagements, including, but not limited to:
- the Fourth International Conference on Financing for Development at the end of June;
- the High-Level Political Forum on Sustainable Development in July;
- the UN Food Systems Summit Stocktake (UNFSS+4) at the end of July;
- the Fourth High-Level Meeting of the United Nations General Assembly on the Prevention and Control of Non-Communicable Diseases (NCDs) and the Promotion of Mental Health and Wellbeing in September; and
- the Thirtieth Conference of the Parties of the United Nations Framework CCC (COP 30) in November.
CARICOM’s careful and coordinated preparation for participating in these processes will be important to effectively advocate to ensure that our voices are heard and our priorities are addressed.
This is particularly important in the area of financing where we will continue to advocate for the implementation of both the Bridgetown Initiative and the Multidimensional Vulnerability Index, as well as reconsideration of recent cuts in technical assistance and international donor funding. These cuts are putting at risk the Region’s hurricane and other disaster preparedness, as well as other funding for health, and the Antigua and Barbuda Agenda for SIDS (ABAS) agreed to at the UN SIDS Conference in Antigua and Barbuda last year.
It is noteworthy that an increasing number of countries and Overseas Territories are pursuing closer relations with the Caribbean Community. The matter of the Community’s approach to enlargement will be discussed by this Meeting.
These matters are all requiring careful consideration and a measured approach, even while ensuring alignment with the Community’s founding tenets, as well as priorities, and social and political values.
As I said earlier, in a world in which small states struggle to be heard, it is important to ensure we are well-coordinated around our fundamental principles.
Mr. Chairman, our comprehensive agenda for the next two days presents a valuable opportunity for in-depth, full and frank discussions on our foreign and community relations, ultimately aiming to determine the most effective way to continue to position our Community for the prosperity of all our people.
I look forward to rich debates and a productive Meeting.
Thank you very much, ladies and gentlemen.
