Canada on Monday pledged $90 million for the improvement of its relations with the Caribbean Community (CARICOM).
The pledge was made during the first meeting of the Canada-CARICOM Foreign Ministers’ Group.
Canada’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Marc Garneau co-chaired the meeting with Belize’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Foreign Trade and Immigration Eamon Courtenay. Courtenay is also the incoming Chair of the Council for Foreign and Community Relations of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM).
The Canada-CARICOM Foreign Ministers’ Group serves as a platform for Canada and Caribbean partners to discuss shared priorities and opportunities for coordinated action.
During the meeting, the ministers exchanged views on their countries’ coordinated response to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, identified shared priorities in achieving inclusive economic growth in the region and discussed areas of collaboration on climate resilience to support an inclusive and sustainable recovery.
Minister Garneau affirmed Canada’s strong support for the COVAX facility, and Canada’s commitment to continue encouraging others to provide additional support needed by this key multilateral partnership to ensure equitable access to vaccines globally.
“Minister Garneau also announced the following initiatives to deepen the Canada-CARICOM partnership – an $81.41-million pledge for the replenishment of the Caribbean Development Bank’s Special Development Fund; a commitment of $9-million to the World Food Programme to support logistics and tackle food insecurity,” Canada said in a statement.
Canada and Caribbean countries share deep and long-standing friendships based on people-to-people ties, shared political values, dynamic trade relations and a commitment to inclusive economic growth and climate resilience.
