Canada and the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) countries have reiterated their commitment to sustainability, resilience, climate action, access to financing, regional security, and shared values.
The text of a joint communique issued earlier this week by 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 was released Friday by the Guyana-based CARICOM Secretariat.
The CARICOM team was led by Kamina Johnson Smith, Jamaica’s Minister of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade and Chair of the CARICOM Council for Foreign and Community Relations (COFCOR).
According to the communique, Joly and Johnson Smith co-chaired the Canada-CARICOM Foreign Ministers’ Group meeting, where delegates emphasized the need for continued vigilance in mitigating the devastating effects of climate change, pursuing concrete action to rebuild resilient and sustainable economies, cooperating on regional security, and increasing collaboration in multilateral forums, among other things.
The meeting examined “concrete progress” on the Canada-CARICOM Roadmap for Action, with ministers recognizing results in key areas such as climate resilience, trade, inclusive governance, and multilateral engagement, according to the communique.
“For example, as announced by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau in February 2023, Canada is now implementing CAD$44.8 million (one Canadian dollar=US$0.75 cents) in new initiatives to support CARICOM in addressing the climate crisis, and the Canada-CARICOM Expert Deployment Mechanism completed 48 capacity-building initiatives in 2022 alone.”
The communique stated that Canada has reaffirmed its commitment to cooperative advocacy for the needs of Caribbean Small Island Developing States (SIDS) at multilateral fora such as the United Nations, the Commonwealth, and the Organization of American States (OAS).
“Ministers look forward to the report of the United Nations High-Level Panel on the Multi-dimensional Vulnerability Index (MVI) and welcomed future consultations on potential uses of the MVI.”
The summit also considered continued study of global financial architecture reforms, such as the Bridgetown Initiative, as well as addressing the specific vulnerabilities of Caribbean SIDS.
“They welcomed the renewal of CARIBCAN and discussed additional ways to strengthen trade and investment between Canada and the region, including for a clean and green transition,” the communique said, adding that the ministers emphasized the need for collective and urgent action to combat climate change, including adequate climate financing for adaptation, mitigation, and resilience, and looked forward to the new loss and damage funding arrangement and fund being operationalized.
“Ministers called for new collaborative and innovative approaches to addressing food insecurity and escalating regional security challenges, as well as highlighting the need to address the region’s migration challenge and the desire for improved mobility between CARICOM Member States and Canada.”
Concerning Haiti, the ministers agreed that the country’s ongoing political and security crisis “is a humanitarian challenge and destabilizing influence in the region,” and that it must be addressed through coordinated international action and Haitian-led solutions.
“They reaffirmed the importance of a national, inclusive political dialogue to reduce tensions in Haiti, and that collective efforts toward such a dialogue must be maintained.” The major targets for Haiti were summarized by ministers, who included “strengthening the security sector, supporting inclusive political dialogue, imposing targeted sanctions, and addressing humanitarian needs.”
The summit praised Canada’s coordinating role with the United Nations Integrated Office in Haiti and the Haitian National Police in facilitating international security assistance to Haiti, according to the communique.
“Canada welcomed CARICOM’s concrete actions, including their efforts to support political dialogue, the recent appointment of an Eminent Persons Group, the Community’s extension of good offices to the Government of Haiti and Haitian stakeholders, including the Kingston Talks hosted in Jamaica, and offers to train Haitian police and service personnel.”
Ministers emphasized the importance of maintaining momentum and not losing sight of the everyday effects of the crisis on all Haitians.”
The meeting also agreed to continue working collaboratively to establish a permanent mechanism to deepen Canada’s strategic partnership with CARICOM, building on the Canada-CARICOM Roadmap for Action, and addressing Haiti’s ongoing political and security crisis, according to the communique.
