Excellencies,
Foreign Ministers,
Heads of Delegation,
I wish to convey the sincere regrets of the Minister of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade of Barbados, Honourable Kerrie Symmonds who regretfully could not be present for these meetings. On his behalf, I wish to convey appreciation to the Government and people of Honduras for their wonderful hospitality and for the arrangements made for these meetings.
But firstly, please permit me through you Mr. Chair to extend sincere condolences to the delegation, Government and people of the Dominican Republic on the tragic loss of life and injury occasioned by the collapse of the night club roof.
Mr. Chairman I wish to applaud the exemplary efforts of Honduras as President Pro Tempore to realize the multiple mandates and strengthen engagement with our external partners.
That our Declaration is still at a stage where it cannot be approved calls for careful reflection. This is a disappointment, but one that hopefully calls into account the full membership of the CELAC to reassess our level of engagement to our community of nations, not only as individual nations but also as a collective.
Our community of Caribbean and Latin American States continues to confront economic instability, which along with food insecurity, crime and violence, and compounded by the challenges of the climate crisis, all impact the wellbeing of our citizens. They not only intensify our vulnerabilities but also undermine national and regional stability and hinder global progress. In the face of these shared challenges, we must strengthen our resolve to build alliances, deepen integration and increase the functional cooperation of our Community.
We heard the cries of the Foreign Minister of Haiti and his emotional account of the existential threats to his country and the Humanitarian Crisis which continues to bedevil his country and our Caribbean Community. The crisis in Haiti which undermines the sustainable development of Haiti and the growth and advancement of Haiti, also undermines the collective stability of our Community of Caribbean and Latin American countries. This is a situation which merits our full attention and solidarity.
The declaration which continues to elude us is but one element of the exercise of our collective commitment to realize our shared goals and aspirations. And within this forum it is incumbent upon us to recognize that our goals are best realized through coordinated efforts and a commitment to multilateralism.
Our countries continue to be plagued by crime and violence as a public health issue and there is an urgent need to intensify interventions and support systems in particular for children, at-risk youth and violence against women. The criminal networks and gangs that plague all our communities need the collective attention.
Barbados recognizes that the question of reparations continues to polarize this community. And while we will lend our efforts to working towards achieving a consensus, it is worth reiterating our country’s position that for the well being of the people of African Descent that people our community – in the Caribbean, Central America and Latin America, reparatory justice and respect for human rights are matters which cannot continue to be overlooked and they will not go away even when there are institutional attempts to ignore them. This is all the more important at a time when Diversity, Equity and Inclusion are under threat in the global institutions upon which we rely to defend our interests and human rights.
In the current geopolitical environment of rapid-fire changes and pressing challenges, our ability to unite and advocate for shared values such as fairness, equity, and justice becomes all the more vital. Unity is not idealistic, it is necessary. Without it, our voices and indeed our impact will be inconsequential.
Thank you.
Author: Government of Barbados
