Colombia, CARICOM, Aruba and Curaçao ratify interest in cooperation
August 2, 2023 –BOGOTA – The 2nd Joint Commission for Technical, Cultural, Educational and Sports Cooperation (2023-2025), Colombia, Caricom, Aruba and Curacao reaffirmed their willingness to cooperate on issues of common interest for the region, the Foreign Ministry confirmed today.
In a joint statement, after the closing of the meeting held yesterday in San Andres, the parties expressed their interest in strengthening cooperative bonds and friendly ties between Colombia and the Member States of the Caribbean Community (Caricom), Aruba and Curaçao.
They emphasized the importance of the 2020-2022 bilateral cooperation program, the first of its kind between Colombia and Caribbean countries, which consisted of six regional projects, two supply-side and four two-way projects developed during the Covid-19 pandemic, with important results.
They expressed the value of holding the 2nd Meeting of the Joint Commission for the period 2023-2025, from the Caribbean, due to the impact of this type of regional cooperation programs in strengthening human and institutional capacities of the countries, which they hope will translate into public policies and generate a significant contribution to sustainable development with an insular and Caribbean vocation.
They reiterated the governments’ commitment to cooperation based on horizontality, solidarity, mutual benefit and the promotion of development, with effective planning of comprehensive and concrete projects and initiatives.
In addition, with defined, coordinated and articulated counterparts and the application of mechanisms and systems for monitoring, follow-up and evaluation.
They applauded the approval of the new 2023-2025 Cooperation Program, with 12 projects in the areas of climate change and risk management, security and defense, rural development, economic development, culture and sports.
They urged to hold the III Meeting of the Joint Commission for Technical, Educational, Cultural and Sports Cooperation in 2025, at a date and place to be defined through diplomatic channels.
They thanked Colombia, especially the Raizal people and other inhabitants of the Archipelago of San Andres, Providencia and Santa Catalina for their willingness to host them during this meeting.
