By CARICOM Secretariat
GEORGETOWN, Guyana – CARICOM secretary-general, Dr Carla Barnett is leading the Secretariat’s delegation to the third meeting of ministers of foreign affairs of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) and the Republic of Colombia in Cartagena de Indias, Colombia, on May 28, 2025.
The theme of the meeting is “Sustainable Development and Climate Change.”
This meeting will take place alongside the Thirtieth Ordinary Meeting of the Ministerial Council and the Tenth Summit of heads of state and government of the Association of Caribbean States (ACS), scheduled for May 29 and 30, 2025, in Cartagena de Indias and Montería, Colombia, respectively.
The meeting will be co-chaired by Dr Denzil Douglas, minister of foreign affairs of St Kitts and Nevis and chair of the Council for Foreign and Community Relations (COFCOR), and Her Excellency Laura Sarabia Torres, minister of foreign affairs of Colombia.
This will be the first group meeting for CARICOM foreign ministers with minister Sarabia Torres since she assumed her post in January 2025.
Previous engagements between CARICOM and Colombian foreign ministers in 2019 and 2022 focused on strengthening relations and cooperation in areas such as trade, transportation, culture, education, environment, climate change, disaster risk management, security, and addressing the COVID-19 pandemic. Joint Commissions have also been held to advance technical, cultural, educational, and sports cooperation.
The upcoming meeting is seen as a crucial opportunity to enhance dialogue and collaboration on political, economic, and cultural ties, especially given the current uncertain international environment. It also provides a platform for CARICOM to urge Colombia, in its roles as chair of the ACS Ministerial Council and President Pro Tempore of CELAC, to continue advocating for the priorities of small and vulnerable states in the region.