Foreign Policy and Community Relations: Overview
Foreign policy coordination and external relations remain a principal objective of CARICOM. Of equal importance is deepening the integration movement and building its resilience to facilitate a socially cohesive Community.
At the CARICOM Secretariat, the Foreign and Community Relations programme continues to articulate and harmonise policies and programmes to safeguard and promote the Community’s interests within the global environment. In this way, the Community’s resilience continues to be enabled and the quality of life for the people improved.
Special Current Issues under focus
- Blacklisting of CC Membership as Tax havens
- Impact of DR constitutional ruling on Dominicans of Haitian descent and Haitian migrants in the Dominican Republic;
- Guyana’s territorial integrity and sovereignty
- US Cuba relations
- Increased presence of nontraditional Third States
- Spread of violent extremism and terrorism
- Climate Change Negotiations and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)
Major Activities for 2015
In 2015, the substantial work in the Foreign and Community Relations programme surrounds the coordination of CARICOM’S positions on issues of interests articulated and advanced in international and hemispheric for a. These include the United Nations (UN) system, Organisation of American States (OAS), the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC), Association of Caribbean States (ACS), European Union-Latin America and Caribbean Foundation(EU-LAC), Commonwealth Heads of Government (CHOGM) and the African Caribbean and Pacific (ACP)
Other major activities in 2015 include the coordination of electoral observer missions to the CARICOM Member States, Haiti, St. Kitts and Nevis, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, Suriname and Trinidad and Tobago, with the aim of strengthening goveranance and intelletual security through the promotion of democracy, respect for human rights and the rule of law.
