His Excellency José Raúl Mulino, President of the Republic of Panama.
Her Excellency Laura Sarabia, Mayor of Colombia.
Your Excellencies, Heads of State and Government, Foreign Ministers and Heads of Delegations present.
Her Excellency Mrs. Noemí Espinoza Madrid, General Secretariat of the Association of Caribbean States.
We have been meeting for several days. First, in Cartagena de Indias, the birthplace of the Association of Caribbean States, where we signed a historic agreement three decades ago. Today we meet in the city of Montería, another place that showcases the diversity of the Greater Caribbean.
A year has passed since Colombia assumed the presidency of the Association's Council of Ministers with a clear agenda: "United for Life: Towards a More Sustainable Greater Caribbean."
I want to begin, therefore, by acknowledging the work of Colombia, under the vision of President Gustavo Petro, who has promoted a bold agenda that puts human beings and sustainability at the center of priorities. His leadership has demonstrated that regional cooperation is not an option, but a necessity.
We also welcome Panama as the next Chair of the Association's Council of Ministers. We trust that its recognized expertise in vital issues such as logistics and port connectivity will bring us new insights to advance a more interconnected and resilient Caribbean.
Our decision to join, reflected in the Constitutive Act of July 24, 1994, implied a commitment to protect our Caribbean Sea , increase connectivity and trade, protect ourselves from the common threats posed by climate change, and foster cooperation among Member and Associate States.
The Caribbean Sea is a shared asset and the livelihood of millions of people. It is the custodian of unique biodiversity and a bridge that unites cultures. However, its fragility in the face of the dangers of climate change, pollution, sargassum, and coastal erosion demands urgent and concerted action.
Therefore, we must continue our efforts in international forums to have the Caribbean Sea declared a Special Zone in the context of Sustainable Development . This recognition would be momentous and would lead to more initiatives and actions that help protect its coasts, its reefs, its mangroves, its species, and attract greater financial resources for its preservation.
Cuba has recently experienced intense involvement in the "Sandy Coasts" project, implemented by the Association and aimed at beach restoration, with tangible benefits for coastal communities supported by the tourism industry. Thanks to the collaboration of focal points from several countries, progress was made on a coastal erosion monitoring system and a regional participatory working system worth replicating was also created.
We face many challenges ahead, but there is a path forward that shows how to move forward. The Sargassum Subcommission of the Caribbean Sea Commission of the ACS is an example of this. It facilitates the creation of technical cooperation networks. We must now support it, translate its efforts into policies, find and implement scientific and community-based solutions, and work toward sustainable financial security for projects to address this threat.
The possible establishment of an Ocean Research Center in Colombia also generates great expectations. If we can secure with the donor that the Center will be regional in scope, this would be of great value to the ACS.
The Member and Associate States of this organization have powerful assets in their universities, scientific centers, cooperation agencies, and other entities. Therefore, one of the Association's main missions must be to coordinate our centers and institutions and promote the collective development of projects.
Regional science could lead to solutions to our problems. Creating integrated centers for disaster management and handling or joint training spaces to promote sustainable and resilient tourism are, in our view, achievable short-term goals. Projects on these topics are already part of the ACS's heritage. We have the knowledge to guide them. What remains is to learn how to integrate and articulate local knowledge and ensure the mobilization of funds for international cooperation.
We must be able to provide donors and potential partners with projects designed by our experts, already certified by the ACS. From our perspective, we also need to advance the collective design of agile and inclusive financing engineering for each project.
The key is to prioritize our comparative advantages: marine conservation, sustainable tourism, and disaster response. Replicate what works and use the lessons learned as operational training tools.
Member and Associate States must be key players and complement each other. Working together with the General Secretariat is essential to moving the organization forward. Regional projects must emerge from technical and multisectoral dialogue, ensuring relevance and collective ownership.
We thank Noemí Espinoza Madrid and the experts who worked on the document "Towards 2025: Renewed Strategic Vision and Mission," which seeks to modernize the AEC without altering its founding essence.
We reiterate the need for a 2025-2035 Strategic Plan with measurable goals, built through regional technical consultations and consensus. We are committed to respecting the historical mandates enshrined in our Constitutive Agreement, in the regulations developed through successive revitalization processes of the ACS, and in the agreements emanating from the 10 Summits held.
Today we have the opportunity to take another step forward in the ACS. Every coral reef restored, every beach recovered, every community empowered, every joint response to a disaster would help us make people feel and appreciate that we are an effective organization.
We must be able to demonstrate to potential donors that the subregion can become an exemplary partner for cooperation, complementarity, and training, in an era in which technology and artificial intelligence challenge us in all our actions.
To each Member and Associate State, to Observers and Social Actors, to the institutions and communities that continue to believe in this collective dream, we say: let us move forward, with determination, so that the Greater Caribbean survives and serves as a global example of sustainability and unity in diversity.
I would not like to conclude without expressing our deepest gratitude to the Member States of the Association for their repeated calls on the United States Government to end the extraterritorial economic, commercial, and financial embargo it imposes on Cuba, which has been intensified to unprecedented levels, as well as for the exclusion of Cuba from the unilateral list of countries allegedly sponsoring terrorism compiled by the United States Department of State, which, due to its implications, causes severe hardships and impacts on the well-being of the Cuban people.
I also express my country's deep gratitude for the dignified stance of rejection of the campaign unleashed by the United States government to discredit Cuban medical cooperation and, thereby, deprive the people who receive it of essential health services.
I would like to thank the Colombian Foreign Ministry, which, in May 2024, at the request of the Non-Grouped subgroup, took on the challenge of this presidency of the Council of Ministers, despite the multiple regional responsibilities that converged for Colombia during 2025.
For those of us who value the Greater Caribbean, returning to Cartagena de Indias inspires us and commits us to continue the legacy of the founding fathers of this organization.
I once again express my gratitude to the governments of Colombia, Cartagena de Indias, and Montería for welcoming us with the warmest hospitality. Diverse lands, rich in history, ancestral traditions, and an immense desire for peace and development for the common good.
Thank you, Colombia. Thank you all for your generosity.
(Cubaminrex)