Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau will host the first Canada-CARICOM Summit in Ottawa from Oct. 17-19 providing an opportunity for leaders to continue to strengthen cooperation and chart a better future for people in both regions.
“I look forward to welcoming leaders from the Caribbean Community to Ottawa this month,” Trudeau said in a press release. “Canada and the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) have built an enduring partnership over the last 50 years, based on ties between our people and our shared commitment to democracy, the rule of law and human rights.”
Themed “Strategic Partners for a Resilient Future,” the summit will allow Prime Minister Trudeau and CARICOM leaders to advance shared priorities, including building inclusive and sustainable economies, increasing trade and investment, and promoting multilateral collaboration.
Focus will also be placed on collective efforts to fight climate change and address its impacts in the Caribbean, including by exploring ways to improve access to finance for Small Island Developing States (SIDS) in the region.
Trudeau will also seek to highlight the importance of reinforcing democratic values, promoting human rights and the rules-based international order, and strengthening coordination on regional security, including responding to the ongoing security, political and humanitarian crises in Haiti.
As co-chair of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (UN SDGs) Advocates group, Trudeau will also promote the SDGs as the pathway for the world to build a more sustainable and prosperous future for all.
The chairmanship of CARICOM rotates every six months. The current chairman is Dominica Prime Minister Roosevelt Skerrit.