20 December 2011
New LAC Forum Adopts Declaration on Caribbean SIDS
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The founding summit of the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC) adopted a "special communique" on the sustainable development of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM).

The document reaffirms the Barbados Programme of Action and stresses building resilience in Caribbean SIDS through technology transfer as well as capacity building and human resources development.

6 December 2011: The founding Summit of Heads of State and Government from 33 Latin America and Caribbean (LAC) countries agreed that the newly formed Community of LAC States (CELAC) shall work together to take common positions and form regional strategies in a variety of policy areas, and adopted special policy declarations on several issues, including one regarding the sustainable development of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM). The Summit, held from 2-3 December 2011 in Caracas, Venezuela, brought together all nations in the Americas except Canada and the US to form a new forum to serve as an alternative to the Organization of American States (OAS), where Canada and the US participate but in which Cuba has been barred from participating since 1962.

The Summit adopted a Declaration of Caracas, a Caracas Action Plan, and over a dozen “special communiques” on issues such as food security, terrorism and defense of democracy. The special communique on sustainable development of CARICOM reaffirms the validity of the Barbados Programme of Action (BPoA) for the Sustainable Development of Small Island Developing States (SIDS). It calls for particular attention be given to building resilience in Caribbean SIDS, through technology transfer as well as capacity building and human resources development. The communique also emphasizes the need to redouble efforts to implement the commitments made in the Political Declaration adopted by the Heads of State and Government at the June 2011 High-Level Meeting on HIV/AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria, particularly with a view to removing before 2015, where feasible, the obstacles that limit the capacity of low- and middle-income countries to provide affordable and effective HIV prevention and treatment products. [CELAC Declaration on Sustainable Development of CARICOM] [CELAC Summit Documents]

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