Prime Minister encourages increased regional coordination and collaboration to tackle issues including inflation at 9th Summit of Heads of Government

By Zoila Palma Gonzalez: Prime Minister John Briceño is in Antigua, Guatemala attending the 9th Summit of the Heads of State and/or Government of the Association of Caribbean States (ACS).

Today’s meeting is the first since 2019 and is being held in a historical context marked by the post-COVID-19 pandemic, the humanitarian crisis represented by climate change, and the war in Eastern Europe.

In his remarks, Prime Minister Briceño called for increased regional coordination and collaboration to tackle political, economic, social, and environmental crises.

“First, the COVID-19 pandemic battered our economies both in terms of production losses and significant increase in our debt burden. These challenges are now further exacerbated by conflict in Europe. However, we should not lose sight of the fact that even before these more recent global events, the structural challenges hampering development were already entrenched,” the Prime Minister stated.

“In terms of economics, the consequences of the conflict in Eastern Europe have been felt around the world with the rising cost of wheat, fertilizers and oil; meaning that regardless of political views, the cost of living for our people has gone up, along with rising food insecurity,” he added.

The Prime Minister noted that the challenges faced by member states are more “homogenous than we realize.”

 He reiterated that addressing these obstacles requires a concerted effort of national governments, international agencies, non-state actors and perhaps, most importantly, the private sector.

“ The ACS must transform itself into a hub for sustained dialogue among the named actors to find actionable solutions in the areas identified.

I will end my remarks on a positive note. The ACS has been in existence for over 29 years and this 9th Summit demonstrates the high-level political commitment of the contracting states, countries, and territories to maintain this forum for “consultation, cooperation and concerted action;” despite the naysayers,” he further stated.

The ACS was established in 1994 to promote consultation, cooperation and concerted action among all countries of the Caribbean. The organization comprises 25 member states and three associate members.

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