Fourth SICA-Caricom summit held to strengthen relations | News

The Heads of State and Government of the Central American and Caribbean regions, integrated into the Central American Integration System (SICA) and the Caribbean Community (Caricom), respectively, will meet this Thursday at their Fourth Summit, at the city ​​of San Pedro, Belize, to narrow and strengthen multisectoral relations.

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Among the purposes of the meeting between the leaders of Caricom and SICA is the adoption of the Joint Declaration of San Pedro, a text that should include the commitments of the countries to strengthen consultation on foreign policy, active collaboration in matters of socioeconomic development, including tourism, trade and investment.

Likewise, the document should reflect how cooperation in climate change, public health and other elements will be increased, according to the website of the Caribbean Community.

On the other hand, it is expected to agree on a Revised Caricom-SICA Action Plan, adopted last month by the Ministers of Foreign Affairs of both regions, where specific areas are specified for joint dialogue and commitment to implementation, evaluation and follow-up. of this agreement.

Among the participants, the Secretary General of the United Nations Organization (UN), António Guterres, is expected as a special guest, to address issues such as the response and recovery from the global health crisis of the coronavirus, climate change, in addition to financing for development and the situation in Haiti.

As part of the agenda, a speech by the Argentine president, Alberto Fernández, as pro tempore leader of the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC), is scheduled. Fernández will address hemispheric and regional issues in his speech.

This Tuesday and Wednesday, prior to the joint summit, the 33rd meeting of Caricom Heads of Government took place, also held in Belize.

After the closing of the meeting, in a press conference, the president of Caricom, the Prime Minister of Belize, John Briceno, and the Prime Minister of Barbados, Mia Mottley, emphasized that the Caribbean must be maintained as a zone of peace.

Briceno added that Covid-19 vaccination rates need to increase "to accelerate the pace of return to a semblance of normalcy." Similarly, he congratulated the Government of Guyana for the comprehensive plan for the agri-food sector presented by the Guyanese president, Irfaan Ali, who is responsible for Agriculture in the quasi-Cabinet of Caricom.

The Caribbean Community, which will celebrate its 50th anniversary in 2023, is made up of Antigua and Barbuda, Barbados, Belize, Dominica, Grenada, Guyana, Haiti, Jamaica, Montserrat, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines. , Suriname and Trinidad and Tobago.

In turn, SICA is made up of Belize, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, Panama and the Dominican Republic. It was founded in 1991.