PARAMARIBO, Suriname, (CMC) — Caribbean Community (Caricom) foreign affairs ministers began a two-day meeting in Suriname on Wednesday, underscoring the need for unity to deal with a changing global environment.
Suriname’s Foreign Affairs Minister Melvin Bouva, the incoming chair of the Council for Foreign and Community Relations (COFCOR), told the opening ceremony that the deliberations should further allow for the region to be “united in purpose and guided by our shared aspirations.”
“Suriname assumes the COFCOR chair during a very tumultuous time within the global arena. We equally meet at a critical moment for our nations and the wider region as we intensify our focus on sustainable resource management and energy transition sectors in which Suriname continues to play an essential role.”
“As we gather here today, I am reminded of the profound strength that comes from our unity. The agenda before us reflects the complex realities of our times, requiring us to consciously navigate an evolving global landscape while addressing pressing regional issues, including climate change, energy security, food security, and connectivity.”
Bouva said that this will certainly be under my leadership in the COFCOR, ”require emphasis from us as a Council.
“At the same time, our people want to see results emanating from foreign policy and international relations. In this regard, our collective voice is crucial as the COFCOR provides the policy guidance necessary to advance the shared vision and development goals of our community.”
He said that Caricom’s intensified engagement with a diverse array of emerging and established development partners ”underscores our commitment to positioning Caricom as a strategic partner on the global stage.
“Equally, we should position our region as a research-rich one and emphasise our potential that we bring to these development relations, but also to the world,” Bouva said, adding that “over the next two days, we will refine our unified positions for critical international fora”, including the upcoming Commonwealth Heads of Government meeting, the Organization of American States (OAS) meeting and the United Nations General Assembly in September, as well as the Conference of the Parties to the Convention (COP 31) to be held in Türkiye in November.
He said COFCOR remains steadfast in its support for Haiti, and the meeting here will assess the progress made by the Eminent Persons Group APG and the Ministerial Policy Group, remaining encouraged by the meaningful steps taken thus far.
“Crucially, the Council will advance discussions on several other issues involving member states as we continue to support the maintenance and preservation of our sovereignty and national integrity, as well as our potential resources, as well as the potential resources that we have.”
He said that at the retreat on Thursday, the ministers “will reflect on geopolitical concerns directly affecting our sustainable development and discuss implications of community enlargement, which includes the review of the Associate Membership applications and strengthening of our foreign policy coordination in the context of rapid multilateral shifts we all know about.
“I expect that these frank and robust discussions will deliver tangible results that provide a practical path to address our current challenges through innovation, trade, and investment,” Bouva said, reiterating the need for Caricom to work together.
“Colleagues, there is no doubt, we are stronger together, even as we recognise the challenges each of us faces on our own national fronts, and the complexities of achieving common goals.
But let us work steadfastly to improve the lives and livelihoods of our community and our country, and that is what foreign policy and international relations are all about,” he said.
The outgoing chairman, St Kitts and Nevis Foreign Affairs Minister, Dr Denzil Douglas, who provided an update on his year in office, told the audience that “in many cases, we have coordinated a common position as it relates to third states, other regional groupings, and their governmental organisations.
“Often, I wonder, is this really enough, my dear colleagues? Also, we have become closer to adhering to the dreams of our forefathers, which was, in fact, hard for the region. Are the impacts of our decisions felt by our own individual populations, and can our young people recognise this work that we are doing for them and for the future in this body?
“Are we fulfilling the dreams and the aspirations of our young people in particular? These are the basic questions I want all of us to think about as we move forward today,” he added.
Caricom Secretary General, Dr Carla Barnett, said that the region must continue to “actively advocate” issues for the region, with a focus on shaping a multilateral system that is equitable and serves the interests of all.
“One of our Caribbean community’s greatest strengths is our ability to project a united voice. For us, this is a vital mechanism for ensuring we can be heard and can influence global decision-making,” she said, noting that this has been so from the earliest days of the community.
“whether we were supporting the dismantling of apartheid in southern Africa, demanding the respect for the territorial integrity of all of our member states, or calling for negotiated approaches to achieving peace and stability.
“While reaching common positions from diverse national interests is complex, as we have demonstrated over the years, the ability to coordinate foreign policy positions, which demonstrates the community remains a most effective means of navigating an unpredictable global landscape.
“None of our small nations can effectively confront these challenges in isolation. Working together is therefore not an option; it is an imperative,” she said, acknowledging that every decision taken by COFCOR and other organs of Caricom “has a direct bearing on the economic and social well-being of our people.
“We therefore look forward to meaningful outcomes that will strengthen Caricom’s capacity to address those needs and to adapt and respond strategically to an ever-changing, always challenging international environment,” she added.