Caricom foreign ministers discuss economic recovery after covid19

THE covid19 pandemic and issues related to it were high on the agenda of last week's 24 meeting of Caricom's Council for Foreign and Community Relations that was held virtually from May 6 to 7. Foreign and Caricom Affairs Minister Dr Amery Browne was amongst the region's foreign affairs ministers who participated in the deliberations.

In a statement, Caricom said the group discussed "the devastating impact of the covid19 pandemic and addressing its public health and economic effects, in particular the need for equitable access to vaccines and to economic recovery financing."

The council commended Jamaican Prime Minister Andrew Holness, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres for recently launching an initiative that has "resulted in a menu of over 250 policy options to address financing for development in the era of covid19 and beyond."

Caricom said the council thanked the efforts of Mexico, the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States and the Association of Caribbean States for ongoing collaborations within the Western Hemisphere to combat the covid19 pandemic.

Other issues discussed included Caricom's support to Guyana in an ongoing border dispute with Venezuela and its support" for the termination of the long-standing US economic, financial and commercial embargo against Cuba."