Canada and CARICOM pledge to strengthen existing relationship

Canada and the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) countries have reaffirmed the “enduring value of the deep and dynamic partnership” strengthening their commitment to sustainability, resilience, climate action, access to finance, regional security, and shared values

The Guyana-based CARICOM Secretariat Friday released the text of a joint communique issued following a meeting held earlier this week between Canada’s Foreign Affairs Minister Mélanie Joly and several CARICOM foreign affairs ministers and diplomats on the margins of the ongoing Organization of American States (OAS) General Assembly in Washington

The CARICOM team was led by Jamaica’s Minister of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade, Kamina Johnson Smith, who is also the chair of the CARICOM Council for Foreign and Community Relations (COFCOR)

The communique noted that Joly and Johnson Smith co-chaired the CanadaCARICOM Foreign Ministers’ Group meeting, where the delegates underscored the need for continued vigilance in mitigating the devastating impacts of climate change, pursuing concrete action to re-build resilient and sustainable economies, cooperating on regional security, and increasing collaboration in multilateral forums among other matters

The communique noted that the meeting reviewed the “concrete progress” on the Canada-CARICOM Roadmap for Action, with the ministers noting results in key areas such as climate resilience, trade, inclusive governance, and multilateral engagement

The communique noted that Canada recommitted to joint advocacy for the needs of Caribbean Small Island Developing States (SIDS) within multilateral fora, including at the United Nations, the Commonwealth, and the OAS

The meeting also discussed further exploration of reforms to the global financial architecture, including the Bridgetown Initiative and to address the specific vulnerabilities of Caribbean SIDS