Secretary General & Mexico Discuss Sargassum
Secretary General Dr. June Soomer and of Chief, Office of Foreign Affairs of Mexico Fabian Medina have agreed that countries of the Greater Caribbean must come together politically, to collaborate on scientific and business opportunities to solve the problem of Sargassum invasions in the region. They met while attending the International Sargassum Conference in Guadeloupe in October. Secretary General Soomer detailed how the invasive species has been affecting other ACS members since 2011, when the first Sargassum bloom in modern times invaded Caribbean beaches. Medina stressed that there is not enough scientific knowledge about Sargassum and its impact on human health and activity. He said that government agencies and private entities need to come together to collaborate on solutions, and that it must be seen as an opportunity for the region. ACS Director for Disaster Risk Reduction, Environment and the Caribbean Sea Arturo López-Portillo, Political Advisor Tricia Barrow also contributed to the discussions. SG Soomer participated in the High-Level Meeting on Sargassum in the Greater Caribbean, held in Mexico in June.
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.