Heads of State and Governments of the Caribbean Forum (CARIFORUM) along with the President of the European Council and the High Representative of the Union for Foreign and Security Policy have agreed to a Euro $346M development programme for the Caribbean and Latin America.
The announcement follows a Summit in the margins of the Second European Union-CELAC Summit held in Brussels on June 11, where an opportunity was provided to welcome and exchange views on the implementation of the Joint Caribbean-European Union Partnership Strategy, adopted in November 2012, which offers a facilitating framework for the further strengthening of the bi-regional partnership.
According to a press statement from the local EU Office, the Leaders reaffirmed their unwavering commitment to the principles of the United Nations Charter, respect for and compliance with human rights obligations; democracy and rule of law, at the national, international level; good governance; inclusive social, environmental and economic development; and sustainable growth.
They committed themselves to include these and other relevant issues in the upcoming reviews of the Partnership Strategy, including at the next Political Dialogue which should take place as soon as possible during the current year.
“The European Union and CARIFORUM signed an important regional cooperation programme of EURO 346 Million, a significant contribution to Caribbean development efforts, focusing on regional integration, climate change, sustainable energy and environment, and crime and security, and including allocations to the Caribbean Investment Facility, aimed at stimulating further investment in the region, and multi-country initiatives,” the release stated.
It was noted that the overall amount of Euro 1 Billion allocated to the region for the 2014-2020 period illustrates the continued high level of EU commitment to the region.
The European Union and CARIFORUM also discussed challenges and opportunities for further integration and more inclusive development in the region; reconstruction and development in Haiti; the fight against poverty; environment protection, disaster risk reduction and the fight against climate change, including the enhanced use of clean energies; improving governance in both regions; crime and security; and cooperation in bi-regional and multilateral fora and on global issues.
