We, the Ministers for Foreign Affairs of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) and the Republic of Cuba, meeting in Havana, Cuba, on March 11, 2017, on the occasion of the Fifth CARICOM-Cuba Ministerial Meeting, and in commemoration of the Forty-fifth anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between the independent CARICOM States and Cuba and the Fifteenth Anniversary of Cuba-CARICOM Day; Reaffirming the Declarations of the Summits of Havana 2002, Bridgetown 2005, Santiago de Cuba 2008, Port of Spain 2011 and Havana 2014, and highlighting its contribution to the advancement of our political ties and cooperation, materialized at the high level Achieved by the relations between our nations; Recognizes the legacy of Commander-in-Chief Fidel Castro Ruz, former Trinidad and Tobago Prime Minister Patrick Manning and former President of Haiti René Preval, to develop strong relationships based on sincere friendship, cooperation and solidarity;
Recognizing the need to address the challenges of achieving sustainable development, including our vulnerabilities as Caribbean countries and in particular, Small Island Developing States and low-lying coastal countries, especially in the economic and environmental fields, and to build More just and equitable societies;
Reaffirming the decision to consolidate the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC) as a political consensus mechanism, which promotes the unity and interests of our region in international relations and with third parties;
Ratifying that the Caribbean is an inseparable part of Our America and emphasizing the role of CARICOM in the process of regional integration;
Determined to continue strengthening the CARICOM-Cuba mechanism, based on deep historical roots and based on solidarity, cooperation and complementarity:
1. We reiterate unrestricted respect and full adherence to the Purposes and Principles enshrined in the Charter of the United Nations and International Law, in particular respect for sovereignty, territorial integrity and non-interference in the internal affairs of States, The peaceful settlement of disputes and the prohibition of the threat or use of force. In the light of the integrality of human rights, we reaffirm our commitment to the protection and promotion of human rights for all;
2. We reaffirm the Proclamation of Latin America and the Caribbean as a Zone of Peace, signed in Havana in January 2014, which recognizes, among others, the inalienable right of every State to choose its political, economic, social and cultural system;
3. We agree to continue the implementation of the results of the Meetings of Ministers of Foreign Affairs and the Summits of Heads of State and Government of CARICOM and the Republic of Cuba as a platform to strengthen political coordination and in other areas;
4. We recognize the consensus reached between the Community and Cuba for the signing of the Second Protocol to the Agreement on Trade and Economic Cooperation, which will help strengthen our relations;
5. We reaffirm the relevance of the active participation of the Caribbean countries in CELAC for regional unity and for the promotion of the priorities of the Caribbean countries. In this regard, we recognize the role of CARICOM President Pro Tempore in the Quartet of CELAC in representation of the interests of its members;
6. We recognize the importance of regional and subregional mechanisms such as CELAC, ACS, CARICOM, ALBA-TCP, PETROCARIBE, as well as others of an international nature such as the BRICS group for the economic and social development of Caribbean countries;
7. We reaffirm our solidarity with the Republic of Haiti, for which we feel a historic debt of gratitude, and the commitment to continue to promote cooperation with that nation, in accordance with the priorities defined by its government and in full respect of its sovereignty ;
8. We emphasize the importance of reparation, compensation and compensation for the damages caused by slavery in the Caribbean, as an act of justice, and to that end, we support the work of the Reparations Commission of the Caribbean Community;
9. We express deep concern at the inclusion of CARICOM Member States in the list of non-cooperative jurisdictions in the European Union and calls for a re-examination of the list based on objective criteria and taking into account commitments made by countries, Accordance with recognized international standards;
10. We also express deep concern and rejection of the progressive decline in banking correspondent relations with developing countries, in particular the CARICOM member states, due to the actions to reduce risk by some of the largest international banking corporations, which threatens the financial stability of the affected countries and limits their efforts to achieve development and socio-economic growth;
11. We emphasize the urgent and global priority of climate change and its negative implications for our societies, ecosystems and economies. In this regard, we commit to strengthening cooperation within CARICOM and other international agencies and agencies to foster greater adaptation and mitigation, strengthen resilience and reduce our vulnerability, particularly Small Island Developing States and Countries of low coastal areas;
12. We reaffirm the need to continue to strengthen cooperation and exchange of experiences and good practices in the area of integrated disaster risk management in the Caribbean, with the purpose of supporting the implementation by the Caribbean countries of the Sendai Framework for the Reduction of Disaster Risk 2015-2030 and all its goals; And to promote the substantial reduction of disaster risk and loss of life, livelihood and health, as well as economic, physical, social, cultural and environmental assets of individuals, enterprises, communities and countries;
13. We decided to continue cooperation on food security, nutrition and agricultural development as key pillars in the fight against poverty, including actions for the implementation of CELAC's Plan for Food Security, Nutrition and Eradication of Hunger 2025 ( SAN-CELAC);
14. We reiterate the call to review and modify the countries' current "graduation" criteria for Official Development Assistance, so as to adequately reflect the reality and specific needs of highly indebted middle income countries, Caribbean States, and integrate the different dimensions of sustainable development included in Agenda 2030;
15. We reiterate our commitment to the protection and conservation of the environment and the sustainable use of natural resources in the region, particularly those in the Caribbean Sea. We support its designation by the United Nations as a "Special Zone in the Context of Sustainable Development" and support the mandate of the Caribbean Sea Commission, recognized at the Fourth CELAC Summit, to promote its preservation and sustainable use. In that regard, we express our firm rejection of the continued use of the Caribbean Sea for the transit and transshipment of nuclear material and toxic wastes and urge the countries that produce and transport them to urgently implement appropriate measures to end To such activities;
16. We reaffirm the commitment to promote regional energy integration as a key element for sustainable development and to advance the diversification of the energy matrix of our countries, aimed at the use of clean, renewable and sustainable energy sources and universal access to Energy services that contribute to the well-being of our peoples;
17. Emphasize the importance of culture as a significant instrument for achieving sustainable economic development, unity, peace, education and mutual understanding among peoples, and we support the successful holding of CARIFIESTA XIII, to be held in Barbados from 17 to August 27, 2017.
18. We recognize the promotion of sustainable tourism as one of the keys to economic growth in the Caribbean region, as identified in the CARICOM Strategic Plan 2015-2019, and agree to strengthen cooperation in this area, including the multi-destination;
19. We note the designation of 2017 as the International Year of Sustainable Tourism for Development and the opportunity it represents to create a more responsible tourism sector capable of exploiting its immense potential in terms of economic prosperity, social inclusion and environmental conservation. In that regard, it welcomes the holding of the World Tourism Conference in Jamaica in November 2017.
20. We commit ourselves to continue to promote joint actions and exchanges of experiences and information on security, as well as on prevention and confrontation of organized transnational crime and other new threats related to cybersecurity and drug trafficking, among other areas;
21. We welcome the progress made in relations between the Governments of Cuba and the United States of America. We reaffirm the call for the United States to unconditionally end the economic, commercial and financial blockade imposed on Cuba for more than five decades and that is contrary to the principles of the Charter of the United Nations and International Law . We reiterate our deep concern and rejection of the extraterritorial dimension of the blockade, as well as the persecution of Cuba's international financial transactions. We reiterate our strong rejection of the application of laws and measures contrary to international law such as the Helms-Burton Act. We urge the President of the United States to use his broad executive powers to substantially change the application of the blockade and to the Congress of that country to proceed with its elimination.
22. Express concern about the social, economic and employment effects of the massive deportation of migrants from countries outside the region;
23. We advocate that recipient States respect the human rights of migrants and, in particular, observe the principle that migrants should not be subjected to arbitrary detention or imprisonment and urge these States to ensure that their policies Of migration are compatible with their obligations under international law, including respect for the dignity and requirements of these persons in the processes of return to their countries of origin;
24. We express our gratitude to the government and people of Cuba for their warm welcome and hospitality;
25. We decided to hold the Sixth CARICOM-Cuba Summit in Antigua and Barbuda on December 8, 2017.
Approved at the Fifth Meeting of Ministers of Foreign Affairs CARICOM-Cuba, on March 11, 2017, in Havana, Cuba.