It's called COFCOR, the Council for Foreign & Community Relations, which is made up of Foreign Ministers of the Caribbean Community. It's a lead up to a summit of Central America and CARICOM heads as well as a Ministerial meeting of Ministers of Trade of both Central America and CARCIOM. So the CARICOM Foreign Ministers began their ministerial meeting today with Belize's Minister in the Chairman's seat. Speaking at the opening, Secretary General of CARICOM Edwin Carrington stressed Belize pivotal role.
Edwin Carrington, CARICOM Secretary General
"In addition to its current Chairmanship of CARICOM, on 1st January this year, also assumed the office of President pro-tempore of the Central American Integration System, SICA. This has therefore afforded Belize the unique opportunity of pursuing one of its long stated priorities, that is to strengthen the political, economic, and social relations between the two sub-regions, CARICOM and SICA. Later this week, Belize's unique role as the bridge between the Caribbean Community and Central America will be highlighted when the heads of government of the two sub-regions gather here in Belize for their second summit."
Hon. Eamon Courtenay, Minister of Foreign Affairs
"Small states like ours face great and varied challenges and diminishing avenues of recourse. Our opportunity for survival and prosperity will have to
include some degree of integration between our regions. As the space for multilateralism shrinks only regional integration, regional solidarity will buffet our states against the force of unilateralism and the collateral damage experienced on the periphery."
COFCOR is designed specifically to deal with pressing and emergent matters and climate change is one of those. Both Carrington and Courtenay noted its relevance in the Caribbean.
Edwin Carrington,
"The region's recent experience as regards adverse weather patterns and its consequences continue to emphasize the relevance of this phenomenon the region. It is for this reason that the community has established the Caribbean Community Climate Change Center, headquartered in Belize, and entrusted the Honorable Prime Minister of Belize with the portfolio responsibility in this domain. It is evident that this is issue is of such great concern to us all as to warrant attention in the highest political levels and justice a worldwide call for a change in national, regional, and international behavior."
Hon. Eamon Courtenay,
"Climate change is a developmental issue impacting food security, tourism, migration, or marine industries and our natural resources more generally. We believe that CARICOM has an important role to play on the international stage."
The SICA-CARICOM summit is this weekend.
