We, the Ministers and Heads of Delegation of the Members of the Association of Caribbean States (ACS), taking part in the Third Ordinary Meeting of the Ministerial Council, held in Cartagena de Indias, Colombia, on November 27-28, 1997,
 
 

Conscious of the importance of the Caribbean Sea as the common patrimony of the peoples of the area and of its role as a unifying element;

Convinced of the usefulness of the Association as a space for consultation, concerted action and co-operation, which can make a decisive contribution to the promotion, consolidation and strengthening of the principles of the rule of law; respect for sovereignty, territorial integrity of the States and the right of self-determination of their peoples; equality of opportunity and respect for human rights and the furtherance of democracy;

Concerned at the growing tendency to adopt and apply national laws with extraterritorial effects, and convinced of the importance of strengthening multilateralism as an instrument for concerted action that favours due treatment of matters of general interest ;

Concerned at the negative effects of the foreign debt on the development of the countries of the area;

Recognizing the need to strengthen co-operation among the member countries of the Association, within the realm of cultural, economic, political, scientific, social and technological relations;

Aware of the importance of the Association of Caribbean States as a forum of for concerted action with regard to the challenge presented to the region, in all spheres, by globalization and the progressive liberalisation of trade relations;

Certain of the need to join forces to counter the effects of policies that seek to limit the sovereignty of the Member States and reduce their common potential in dealing with matters of global interest;

Convinced that it is important to preserve the ecological integrity of the Caribbean Sea, by developing and using its resources in a sustainable manner, so as to enhance the quality of life of present and future generations of the peoples of the area, and that the Association of Caribbean States is a privileged and invaluable forum in which to pursue these objectives;

Satisfied with the achievements of the previous two Ordinary Meetings of the Ministerial Council, held in Guatemala, on December 1, 1995 and in Havana on December 13, 1996, among which must be highlighted the implementation of the Declaration of Principles and Plan of Action, the consensus reached on the proposed establishment of the Caribbean Sustainable Tourism Zone, and the adoption of the rules of the Special Fund of the Association;

Noting that tourism constitutes the most dynamic sector of the economy in most countries of the Caribbean;

Committed to the continuous encouragement of regional co-operation mechanisms in the field of transportation, in order to adapt existing infrastructure to the realities and new challenges posed by the regional and global integration processes;

Declare our intention to:

1. Reiterate our commitment to respect for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of States, as well as the rights and duties of our citizens to express themselves freely in a democratic framework.

2.    Strengthen the integration process as a collective instrument essential to the generation and expansion of opportunities intended to secure the well-being and improved quality of life of our peoples.

3. Deepen this process through the adoption of decisions which will strengthen national and regional structures of consultation, so as to involve each and every sector of our societies in negotiations designed to secure greater linkage and convergence among the countries of the area.

4.    Implement actions designed to secure the adoption of initiatives to relieve the burden of foreign debt on the economies of our countries, and to request the multilateral financial institutions to adopt measures which will facilitate the discharge of obligations acquired.

5.    Encourage initiatives that will allow concerted work among the Member States in the areas of intra-regional trade, communications, and the promotion of investment and exports, in order to promote the participation of the business sector. In this context, we welcome and support the initiative of Guatemala to convene the first meeting of the Chambers of Commerce and Industry of the Caribbean Region, to be held in mid-1998 in Guatemala City.

6.    To collaborate with other regional and international organisations in efforts to secure the adoption in 1999, in a Special Session of the United Nations General Assembly, of a proposal which recognizes the Caribbean Sea as a Special Area in the context of sustainable development, and for the purpose of which measures are adopted for the rational exploitation, conservation and management of this vital natural resource in a manner consistent with the security, well-being and present and future development of the peoples of the region.

7.    To recognize that the sustainable development of tourism contributes to the achievement of socio-economic stability in the region, and that the establishment of the Sustainable Tourism Zone must result from concerted action among the Member States of the Association. As such, we welcome the recommendations emanating from the Second Meeting of the Special Committee on Tourism, held in Mexico City, on October 13-14, 1997, and express our interest in presently having a binding mechanism to accomplish the goals established in this respect.

8.    To ensure that, given the acknowledged importance of transportation as a decisive factor in the integration of trade, tourism and culture in the region, the work done in this area will contribute, in the shortest possible time, to the accomplishment of the objectives laid down in the Convention Establishing the ACS. In this sense, we underscore the decision to create and make operational the Special Committee on Transport.

9.    To promote action to strengthen and promote the defence of our cultural identities and values. At the same time, to support initiatives which have been formulated, in various forums and instances, with respect to preserving the cultural heritage of the region;

10.    To strengthen multilateral institutions as instruments of concerted action, whilst rejecting any attempt to apply national legislation with extraterritorial effects. Likewise we reject unilateral measures intended to be applied in the areas of trade, human rights, the fight against the illicit traffic of drugs, and protection of the environment.

11.    We reiterate, in particular, our  firm rejection of the application of the Helms-Burton Law, as well as recent actions intended to broaden the scope of said legislation. We therefore urge the international community to increase its efforts to put an end to such practices, which are contrary to international law and infringe the principles that govern harmonious relations among States, and contradict the spirit that ought to characterise relations among all members of the international community. In this context, we endorse the Declaration on the Helms-Burton Law, adopted by the Association at the Intersessional Preparatory Meeting held in Port-of-Spain, on July 16 of this year.
 
 

Issued in Cartagena, on this twenty-eighth (28th) day of November nineteen hundred and ninety-seven (1997)