7th ACS International Cooperation Conference a Success in Guatemala on May 8th, 2023
The seventh iteration of the ACS International Cooperation Conference (ACS) has concluded Antigua, Guatemala, kicking off a week of highly anticipated meetings that will culminate in the 9th Summit of ACS Head of States and/or Government Agenda on May 12th, 2023. The conference, themed “A Decisive Step in the Consolidation of Building of Bridges for the Comprehensive Unification of the Greater Caribbean Region” was presided over by President of the Ministerial Council of the ACS, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Guatemala, His Excellency Mario Búcaro Flores and was attended by delegates representing several countries, cooperation agencies and companies as well as international and regional organisations.
Building on its Havana based predecessor, the 7th International Cooperation Conference sought to demonstrate the concrete actions taken since November last year, to operationalise and execute an array of ACS project and programme initiatives, with a segment solely devoted to the launch of these endeavours and the announcement of their generous benefactors. Projects and programmes explored were all in the ACS focal areas of disaster risk reduction, climate change, transportation, sustainable tourism and trade and the Caribbean Sea.
Opening remarks were given by His Excellency Mario Búcaro Flores, Guatemalan Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Adriana Bolaños, President of the Special Committee on Cooperation and Resource Mobilization, of Costa Rica, and H.E Rodolfo Sabonge, Secretary General of the ACS. Each speaker highlighted the importance continued and concerted collaborative work between member states and partners and to be able to face the many global and regional challenges the Greater Caribbean confronts.
With a repertoire of high calibre speakers and presenters, the Conference was divided into several segments which showcased the results and/or best practices in the different areas of expertise including addressing Climate Change as an approach to disaster risk reduction, economic integration as a driver of sustainable tourism, transport and digitalisation, and South-South Cooperation in the Greater Caribbean. The launch of projects and programmes saw distinguished representatives from COPERNICUS, SEGIB, IDB, Latin American Development Bank (CAF) and the World Bank (WB) openly pledge financial and/or technical support that will undoubtedly propel the ACS forward in achieving its mission, the prime of which is to promote and support sustainable development in the Greater Caribbean Region.
As the curtain comes down on another successful International Cooperation Conference, the ACS takes the opportunity to extend its gratitude to each and every organisation represented and to each individual delegate and speaker for their support and worthwhile contributions to the discussion and further development of these, and future initiatives.
To watch the full Cooperation conference you can access the video via the Cooperation Conference website at: https://cooperation.acs-aec.org/7th-coop-conference/?lang=eng
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.