Press Releases

The group of 35 countries making up the Association of Caribbean States have made a wide-ranging declaration, pledging to tackle the effects of climate change, reinforce the region as a zone of peace, ensure safe migration, focus on sustainable development and support the call made by CARICOM for reparations for the Trans-Atlantic slave trade and slavery. Heads of State and Government of the Greater Caribbean made the Declaration of Managua at the 8th ACS Summit in Nicaragua on Friday, 29 March 2019.  

The Association, celebrating its 25th year of existence hosts Heads of State/Government Summits at least every three years.  At ACS Summits, triennial plans of action are agreed upon, guiding the work of the Ministerial Council.

Chaired by Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega, the Heads of State/Government, including Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel, Salvadorian President Salvador Sánchez Cerén, the leaders of British Virgin Islands and Martinique agreed to a 36-point Declaration which will guide the Association’s work for the next three years. 

The Declaration of Managua which was informed by the theme of the Summit and the 3rd Cooperation Conference states that that the Association “Agrees to unite efforts to face global climate change with a view to positioning the countries of the Greater Caribbean at the forefront of international efforts to limit global warming to 1.5C.” 

The Members have also reiterated their commitment to promoting the Greater Caribbean as a “Zone of Peace”, respecting “the United Nations Charter”… promoting “…friendly relations between states, international cooperation in solving problems, the Sovereign Equality of States… the prohibition of the use or threat of use of force against the territorial integrity or political independence of any state and the non-interference in their domestic affairs…”

Secretary General Dr. June Soomer stated  that the Heads, “in re-committing to the ACS, are called upon to harness the collective wisdom and experience that 25 years of achievements and lessons learnt have honed.” SG Soomer adds that the leaders “are called upon to chart a new vision and way forward for the ACS that ensures that the expectations and hopes of the peoples of the Greater Caribbean are met.

Nicaragua, the outgoing Chair of the Ministerial Council welcomed the new Chair Barbados, as it takes up its year-long job as the head of the Ministerial Council. Mexico and Panama are the Vice Chairs of the Council for 2019-2020. 

To read the full Declaration of Managua, visit:

http://www.acs-aec.org/sites/default/files/sm_2019_8_wp.001_en.pdf