Port of Spain (December 10, 2008) – The efforts undertaken by the Association of Caribbean States (ACS) to declare the Caribbean Sea as a Special Area in the context of Sustainable Development at the UN General Assembly received full support at the Third Summit of Heads of State & /or Government of the Republic of Cuba and the Caribbean Community (CARICOM), which took place on 8 December in Santiago de Cuba.

In the Declaration of the Santiago de Cuba, the leaders:

“Fully support the efforts being undertaken, through the Association of Caribbean States (ACS), in having the Caribbean Sea declared a ‘Special Area within the Context of Sustainable Development’ at the United Nations General Assembly in recognition of the importance of the Caribbean Sea as an area of unique bio-diversity, a highly fragile eco-system and an essential contributor to the livelihood of the peoples in the region.”

The Summit was attended by leaders of 14 CARICOM states, Cuban President Raul Castro, ACS Secretary General, Ambassador Luis Fernando Andrade Falla, CARICOM Secretary General, HE Edwin Carrington, and Secretary General of the Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS) Dr. Len Ishmael.

CARICOM leaders initiated a new round of cooperation talks with neighbour Cuba, aimed at strengthening their relationship and finding regional solutions to common problems.  The agenda also included discussions on the financial, energy and food crises and on climate change and their impact on Caribbean countries.

The Summit closed with the adoption of the Final Declaration and a document of consensus on the Summit on Integration and Development to be held in Savador de Bahia, Brazil on December 16-17.

The first Cuba-CARICOM Summit was held in Havana, Cuba in 2002 and the second in Bridgetown, Barbados in 2005.  The next Summit will take place in the Republic of Trinidad & Tobago on December 8, 2011.

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