CARICOM Ministers of Foreign Affairs Convene in New York

New York, 25th September 2023 – The Rt Hon. Dr Denzil Douglas and his CARICOM counterparts met at the Commonwealth Joint Office in New York on Sunday 24th September 2023 for the Eighteenth Special Meeting of the Council for Foreign and Community Relations (COFCOR) of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM).

Chair of the COFCOR, the Hon. Senator Kamila Johnson Smith presided over the meeting whose agenda included, among others, the situation in Haiti, preparations for upcoming meetings and summits, and border issues. The discussions were open and cordial as Ministers coalesced to boost the coordination of the Region’s foreign policy. CARICOM’s top diplomats also deliberated on prospects for enhanced engagement from New York with the CARICOM Secretariat on UN-related matters.

The COFCOR reiterated its support for Member States embroiled in ongoing border disputes and reinforced its commitment to deeper involvement in safe and resourced efforts in collaboration with international partners to ease the crisis in neigbouring Haiti.

Countries represented at the ministerial level included Antigua and Barbuda, The Bahamas, Belize, Dominica, Guyana, Jamaica, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Suriname and Trinidad and Tobago. The respective Permanent Representatives to the United Nations of Barbados, Grenada, Haiti and Saint Lucia headed their delegations to the meeting.

The COFCOR convenes Special Meetings in the margins of the annual United Nations General Assembly in New York.