Participants in the 28th Meeting of COFCOR: Chair and Minister of Foreign Affairs of St. Kitts and Nevis, Dr. Denzil Douglas (centre left) and CARICOM Secretary General Dr. Carla Bennet (centre right) with foreign ministers and other senior officials.
GEORGETOWN/BASSETERRE--The 28th Meeting of the Council for Foreign and Community Relations COFCOR of the Caribbean Community CARICOM was held in Basseterre, St. Kitts, from May 8 to 9, under the chairmanship of Dr. Denzil Douglas, Minister of Foreign Affairs, International Trade, Industry, Commerce and Consumer Affairs, Economic Development and Investment of St. Kitts and Nevis, according to a communiqué from the CARICOM Secretariat.
The COFCOR was attended by ministers of foreign affairs of The Bahamas; Belize (virtual); Dominica; Grenada; Jamaica; St. Lucia; St. Kitts and Nevis; St. Vincent and the Grenadines (virtual); Suriname; and Trinidad and Tobago (virtual).
Antigua and Barbuda was represented by its senior foreign service officer, Barbados by its ambassador and director general of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade; Guyana (virtual) by its ambassador and permanent secretary; and Haiti by its ambassador to CARICOM.
Dr. Terrence Drew, Prime Minister of St. Kitts and Nevis, attended the Opening Ceremony, where remarks were delivered by CARICOM Secretary General Dr. Carla Barnett; COFCOR Outgoing Chair, Dr. Vince Henderson, Minister of Foreign Affairs, International Business, Trade and Energy of Dominica; and COFCOR Chair, Minister Douglas, the communiqué states. The statements are available at
www.caricom.org.
Retreat
Foreign ministers, at their Retreat Session, received a presentation by Dr. Riyad Insanally, entitled “The Development of a Caribbean Community CARICOM Enlargement Policy”. Ministers considered the importance of ensuring that any form of expansion is aligned with the founding principles and priorities of CARICOM and serves to promote and protect the strategic interests of the Community. The ministers also received the Report of the Technical Working Group Considering the Dominican Republic’s Application for Associate Membership in CARICOM and an update on the status of Bermuda’s Request for Full Membership of the Caribbean Community.
Candidatures
The COFCOR continued to emphasise the importance of CARICOM’s participation in international bodies, including the pursuit of increased CARICOM representation in them, according to the communiqué. In this regard, ministers considered and endorsed several CARICOM candidatures to the United Nations (UN), the Organization of American States (OAS) and other international and regional organisations. They also considered the requests by Third Countries for CARICOM’s support for their candidatures to various bodies.
Bilateral relations
The COFCOR noted the progress made in the strengthening of relations with several Third States since its last Meeting. In so doing, it reaffirmed the importance of CARICOM’s relations with its traditional partners, while recognising the need to expand the Community’s outreach to develop relations with non-traditional partners and groupings.
Foreign ministers noted the recent political developments in Canada and welcomed the opportunity for CARICOM to elevate its strategic partnership with that country. In this regard, the ministers acknowledged that a timely engagement through the Fourth Meeting of the CARICOM-Canada Foreign Ministers’ Group would maintain the momentum in the relationship, the communiqué states.
In respect of CARICOM-Cuba relations, the COFCOR noted the decision of the government of the United States of America (US) to expand the visa restrictions policy to include foreign government officials of countries considered by the US to be exploiting Cuban health professionals; reiterated the Community’s profound gratitude for Cuba’s assistance to the Region and expressed concerns regarding the implications of the expanded policy for the health sectors of CARICOM Member States.
Foreign ministers also considered recent policy changes implemented by the new administration in the US. The foreign ministers agreed that the Community should continue to advocate for multilateral engagement and to avail itself of all opportunities to pursue advocacy with the US government on issues of priority concern for CARICOM.
Multilateral and hemispheric relations
Foreign ministers considered upcoming Summits and High-level Meetings at the United Nations (UN) and underscored the value of the Community’s active participation at the highest political level to ensure the effective protection and promotion of CARICOM’s interests. The ministers highlighted the importance of the Third UN Oceans Conference and the signature and ratification of the International Legal Binding Instrument under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea on the Conservation and Sustainable Use of Marine Biological Diversity in Areas Beyond National Jurisdiction (BBNJ), according to the communiqué.
Foreign ministers emphasised that the Fourth International Conference on Financing for Development would be a vital platform for the Region to advocate for key reforms of the international financial architecture, including concessional financing for middle-income countries, climate finance, the Bridgetown Initiative and the Multidimensional Vulnerability Index, in building resilience for sustainable development.
The ministers also recognised the importance of the upcoming High-Level International Conference for the Peaceful Settlement of the Question of Palestine and the Implementation of the Two-State Solution, and the High-Level Forum on Sustainable Development.
The ministers further considered the Fourth High-Level Meeting on the Prevention and Control of Non-Communicable Diseases and the Promotion of Mental Health and Well-Being, noting the submissions put forward by the Healthy Caribbean Coalition (HCC) in a resource document, Preparing CARICOM Ministries of Foreign Affairs for the Fourth United Nations High-level Meeting on the Prevention and Control of Non-communicable Diseases (HLM4), September 2025, and Beyond: A Briefing Note from Civil Society.
The COFCOR received a presentation from Albert Ramdin, Minister of Foreign Affairs, International Business and International Cooperation of Suriname, incoming Secretary General of the Organisation of American States (OAS), regarding issues of strategic interest to the Community currently before the OAS, including the OAS Group of Friends of Haiti, reaffirming the importance of multilateralism and functional cooperation, the communiqué states.
The Council welcomed the assumption of Noemí Espinoza Madrid to the office of Secretary General of the Association of Caribbean States (ACS) and agreed that CARICOM should continue to act strategically within the Association.
The ministers received a brief presentation from Alva Baptiste, Minister for External Affairs, International Trade, Civil Aviation and Diaspora Affairs of St. Lucia, on the strategic planning exercise being undertaken by the ACS to shape its future by defining its vision and priorities, establishing objectives and developing action plans to improve institutional effectiveness, and address emerging challenges to strengthen cooperation in the Greater Caribbean over the coming decade.
Ministers further noted the upcoming 30th Ordinary Meeting of the ACS Ministerial Council and the 10th Summit of Heads of State and Government and encouraged the participation of CARICOM Member States in these high-level engagements, being held within the context of the 30th Anniversary of the establishment of the ACS.
Community relations
Foreign ministers received a report on the situation in Haiti and expressed deep concern about the worsening of the security crisis, the growing mistrust of the Transitional Presidential Council amongst Haitians and the insufficiency of international support, including for humanitarian relief. Ministers reaffirmed the importance of the Community’s Good Offices role through the efforts of the Eminent Persons Group (EPG), in engaging with key Haitian stakeholders and supporting peace and stability in Haiti; and called for greater international attention and support, according to the communiqué.
There was agreement that CARICOM would continue to advocate within the halls of power and in upcoming multilateral fora to mobilise critical humanitarian, financial and human resource aid for Haiti, in addition to the urgency of long-term support for the country, in light of the flagging support for the funding of the Multinational Security Support Mission (MSSM) and deep concern over the delay of the United Nations Security Council in responding to the proposal of the UN secretary general to deploy a hybrid mission to Haiti to address the insecurity situation.
Amidst grave concern regarding the conditions for the effective holding of the referendum and its delay, and the implication of this delay for the general elections later this year, ministers underlined the importance of integrity, effectiveness and good governance in facilitating the progress of the transition process, the communiqué states.
Border issues
The COFCOR received an update on developments relating to the territorial, insular and maritime claim of Guatemala and the dispute between Belize and Honduras arising from Honduras’ claim against the Sapodilla Cayes, both of which are now before the International Court of Justice (ICJ).
The COFCOR expressed its concern about the report received from Belize regarding the increased tensions in the Sarstoon and the repeated maritime incursions by the Guatemalan military into Belize’s territorial and internal waters. COFCOR underscored the obligation of Guatemala to refrain from any action which could exacerbate the dispute while the case is before the ICJ and reiterated its call for both countries to urgently fulfil their commitment to design a mechanism of cooperation for the Sarstoon River, with the assistance of the OAS, according to the communiqué.
The COFCOR was also updated on developments in the controversy between Guyana and Venezuela. They noted that on December 9, 2024, Guyana submitted to the ICJ its final written brief on the merits of the case and that Venezuela’s final written submission is due to be filed on August 11, 2025, after which the Court will schedule oral hearings on the merits of the case, to be followed by deliberations and a final judgment.
They also noted the Court’s Order of May 1, 2025, in response to Guyana’s request for additional provisional measures to address Venezuela’s announced plan to carry out elections for a governor and legislative council in Guyana’s Essequibo region. They urged that Venezuela comply with that Order, that “pending a final decision in the case, the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela shall refrain from conducting elections, or preparing to conduct elections, in the territory in dispute, which the Co-operative Republic of Guyana currently administers and over which it exercises control”.
The COFCOR reiterated its full support for the ongoing judicial process as the proper means of resolving the controversy peacefully, finally and in accordance with international law, the communiqué concludes.
