Participants in the 12th UK-Caribbean Forum, Lancaster House, London.
ST. GEORGE’S, Grenada--Grenada participated in the twelfth United Kingdom (UK)-Caribbean Forum held on March 10, at Lancaster House in London.
The forum brought together foreign ministers, high commissioners, representatives from the CARICOM secretariat, including Assistant Secretary-General Elizabeth Solomon, UK Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper and other senior government officials from across the Caribbean and the United Kingdom for a high-level dialogue on issues of shared importance. Grenada’s delegation included Permanent Secretary (PS) within the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Export Development Roxie McLeish-Hutchinson; High Commissioner for Grenada to the UK Rachér Croney, and First Secretary Lornie Bartholomew.
Prior to the official start of the forum, there was a reception hosted by His Majesty, King Charles III, which provided an opportunity for engagement. The forum opened with welcome remarks from UK Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper and Dr. Denzil Douglas, Minister of Foreign Affairs in St. Kitts and Nevis.
Substantive discussions were held across four thematic areas: geopolitics and partnerships, trade and investment, climate change and disaster risk management, and security and justice. Interventions were made by Grenada on climate change and disaster risk management, reflecting on the nation’s lived experience and continued leadership on issues of climate resilience and regional security. PS Hutchinson noted that climate change is altering the scope of the disasters small island developing states such as Grenada face, and its impact is far-reaching across several sectors, including health. PS Hutchinson therefore called for greater collaboration between the UK and the Caribbean to help establish the institutions and mechanisms that are needed to ensure climate resilience, adaptation, access to finance, and sustainability.
The PS also called for greater advocacy from the UK within the spaces that Grenada is not represented, and noted that strengthened cooperation yields results, as was done with the 2011 Durban Agreement, which resulted in a roadmap and commitment to a new comprehensive and legally binding agreement for all countries to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Discussions also focused on renewable energy and practical steps that are needed to advance regional energy integration in the Caribbean.
On trade and investment, discussions were held regarding the implementation of the Economic Partnership Agreement, accessibility, and trading barriers. Security issues within the Caribbean were also discussed with a focus on organised crime, arms and narcotics trafficking, and gender-based violence with interventions from Trinidad and Tobago, Bahamas, Haiti and Jamaica. Interventions were also made by the UK foreign secretary on the colonial legacy of the transatlantic slave trade, and a commitment to continue the discussions started within the forum.
Grenada looks forward to the forthcoming commitments and accompanying action plan derived from the forum and its practical and timely implementation ahead of the next UK-Caribbean Forum in 2028. ~ Now Grenada ~
