18th Intersessional Preparatory Meeting of the ACS Ministerial Council convenes in Port of Spain

NR/024/2015

Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago, 16th November 2015- The Association of Caribbean States (ACS) will convene the 18th Intersessional Preparatory Meeting of the ACS Ministerial Council on 17th November 2015 at the Hilton Hotel, Port of Spain, Republic of Trinidad and Tobago. The Honourable Dennis Moses, Minister of Foreign and CARICOM Affairs of the Host country, or his representative is expected to address representatives of the Member and Associate Member Countries of the ACS, as well as Founding Observers, Observer Countries and Social Partners during the meeting’s opening ceremony. Also contributing to the panel of speakers delivering introductory remarks are H.E. Lener Renauld, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Worship of Haiti in his capacity as Chairman of the Ministerial Council followed by H.E. Alfonso Múnera, Secretary General of the ACS.

 

The principal objectives outlined for the meeting include an examination of cooperation projects approved by the VI Summit of Heads of State and/or Government of the ACS which was held in Merida, Mexico in 2014. With respect to this, Mr. Efraín Limones García, Director of the Project on the Caribbean, National Institute of Statistics and Geography (MFA México), will inform on advances made in the following project: Initiative on Global Geospatial Information Management, which is being coordinated in conjunction with the Directorate of Disaster Risk Reduction.

 

Additionally, the Meeting will explore the implementation of the Work Programme of the ACS and dialogue on the Work of the Special Committees and the Special Fund. In this regard, the Chairmen of the Special Committees will present reports on Disaster Risk Reduction, Trade Development and External Economic Relations, Transport, Sustainable Tourism and the Council of National Representatives of the Special Fund.

 

During the meeting’s proceedings, the Chair of the Caribbean Sea Commission (CSC) will issue a Report on the work of the CSC. The aim of the CSC is to function as the structured mechanism, which works to gain recognition for the Caribbean Sea as a special area within the context of sustainable development. Further discussions will be held surrounding the upcoming Symposium on the Caribbean Sea titled “Challenges, Dialogue and Cooperation towards the Sustainability of the Caribbean Sea” which will take place from November 23rd to 24th, 2015 in Port of Spain.

 

The Meeting will further consider the report on the nomination process for the Secretary General and the designation process for Directors to the ACS Secretariat. Secretary General Alfonso Múnera will complete his tenure in April 2016. 

 

The 18th Intersessional Preparatory Meeting of the Ministerial Council will conclude following preparations for the 20th Ordinary Meeting of the ACS Ministerial Council and a synopsis of conclusions and outcomes of the meeting will be presented.

About the ACS

The Association of Caribbean States is the organization for consultation, cooperation and concerted action in trade, transport, sustainable tourism and natural disasters in the Greater Caribbean. Its Member States are Antigua & Barbuda, The Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Colombia, Costa Rica, Cuba, Dominica, Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Grenada, Guatemala, Guyana, Haiti, Honduras, Mexico, Jamaica, Nicaragua, Panama, St. Kitts & Nevis, St. Lucia, St. Vincent & the Grenadines, Suriname, Trinidad & Tobago and Venezuela. Its Associate Members are Aruba, Curacao, (France on behalf of French Guiana, Saint Barthelemy and Saint Martin ), Guadeloupe, Martinique, Sint Maarten, (The Netherlands on behalf of Bonaire, Saba, and Sint Eustatius ), Turks and Caicos.