CARICOM ministers attending the 17th Meeting of the Council for Foreign and Community Relations (COFCOR) at the Guyana International Conference Centre will be faced with a packed agenda.

Foreign Affairs Minister of Guyana, Ms Carolyn Rodrigues-Birkett, said the ministers will address the region’s position on several matters impacting multilateral relations, including the United Nation’s post 2015 development agenda, and the third international conference on Small Island Developing States (SIDS) later this year.
There will also be discussions on CARICOM relations with a number of other hemispheric organisations, the upcoming 8th UK-Caribbean Forum, the fifth CARICOM-Spain Summit; Observance of the CARICOM-Japan Friendship Year and Member States participation in the Tourism Expo Japan 2014.
She explained that COFCOR is always very important for Guyana and CARICOM as a whole. “It is a place where Foreign Ministers would meet and discuss the foreign policy issues of the community,” she said.

Observing that foreign policy coordination doesn’t necessarily mean unanimity of position, the Minister noted that CARICOM ministers have been working very hard to ensure that positions are coordinated.
“We do have unanimous positions on certain matters such as Climate Change, the Post-2015 Development Agenda, and the issue of graduation of middle income countries. These are all issues that we have united positions on,” Minister Rodrigues-Birkett stated. She noted however, that there are other issues that will need work and those will be discussed. Also to be discussed is Financing for Development.

Guyana has been tasked by the UN Secretary General through Guyana’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Ambassador George Talbot and his counterpart from Norway, to coordinate that process and financing for development.
Additionally, focus will be placed on the upcoming United Nations Summit on Climate Change. Minister Rodrigues-Birkett said while this is a matter that concerns all, “We are concerned with the process, hoping to have a legally binding agreement by 2015, and so we have to remain engaged in this matter.”

Pointing out upcoming meetings, the Guyanese Foreign Minister said that while CARICOM states need to be in all of them, it is not very easy given the resource constraints in many of the countries. “So CARICOM has to find the best way of ensuring that we remain with this matter and participate and ensure that our positions are taken forward in those discussions.”

Also slated for discussion is the strategic vision of the Organisation of American States (OAS). Further, in a diplomatic move, CARICOM has included other non-governmental persons in the COFCOR meeting. These include Dr. Mark Kirton from the University of the West Indies and two other persons. “We want to hear their views as well, how they see us as coordinating the region’s policy in a very critical and constructive way,” Minister Rodrigues-Birkett commented.

The COFCOR meeting, which opens today, will be chaired and hosted by Guyana with representatives from all 14 CARICOM member states present. Special guests will include the Foreign Ministers of Brazil, Spain, New Zealand and Ecuador.

(GINA)