This week, the Honourable Anita Anand, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Canada, and the Honourable Christopher Sinckler, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade of Barbados, on behalf of the Chair of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) Council for Foreign and Community Relations (COFCOR) presided over the 2026 Canada-CARICOM Foreign Ministers' Group Meeting, which was held in Panama City, Panama, on the margins of the 2026 Organization of American States (OAS) General Assembly.
This meeting built on the 2023 Canada-CARICOM Strategic Partnership at a time of profound shifts in the global order that reinforce the importance of coalition-building among partners. Ministers reaffirmed the strength of the partnership and their shared commitment to regional security, economic growth, climate resilience, and democratic values.
Canada-CARICOM Strategic Partnership
Ministers reviewed progress under the Strategic Partnership and endorsed a new, results-focused Action Plan centered on three priority pillars: competitive and resilient economies, climate action, and regional security and stability.
They underscored the importance of establishing clear timelines, measurable outcomes, and sustainable financing mechanisms to ensure effective implementation of the Action Plan.
Regional Security and Stability
Ministers discussed the evolving regional security environment, including transnational organized crime and gangs, irregular migration and the situation in Haiti. They emphasized the importance of strengthened cooperation to build institutional capacity, enhance maritime security, and disrupt illicit flows. Ministers commended ongoing collaboration, including Canada's support to regional security efforts through capacity-building, targeted intervention and operational partnerships.
Ministers acknowledged that the region's security challenges are increasingly interconnected and require comprehensive responses encompassing maritime security, cyber resilience, intelligence sharing, and the disruption of transactional criminal networks.
Haiti
Ministers expressed concern over the ongoing political, security, and humanitarian crisis in Haiti and its impacts on regional security, including increased drug and arms trafficking. They underscored the importance of sustained international support for the Gang Suppression Force (GSF) as it helps Haitians re-establish security in their country and pledged their full support for the timely renewal of its mandate at the United Nations Security Council in the early fall.
They took note of the deployments of the GSF to date, including at the command level, and the training and capacity building support that the GSF is providing on the ground.
Ministers underscored the right of Haitians to choose their own government and reaffirmed CARICOM's support to Haiti's interim authorities to hold credible elections at the earliest opportunity. They further noted the importance of rebuilding public trust by addressing the root problems of corruption and impunity, including through the timely operationalization of Haiti's two new specialized judicial units. Ministers agreed to convene a broader consultation on the margins of the United Nations General Assembly to explore short- and long-term collective action on Haiti.
Economic Growth and Climate Resilience
Ministers highlighted the interlinkages between economic growth and climate resilience. They also emphasized the strong correlation between access to affordable energy and economic growth, noting that reliable and reasonably priced energy can facilitate industrial development and innovation. They underscored opportunities to expand trade and investment, strengthen supply chains, and support sustainable growth, including through enhanced commercial engagement and the Commonwealth Caribbean Countries Tariff program, known as CARIBCAN, which provides duty-free access to the Canadian market for most products originating in 18 Commonwealth Caribbean countries and territories.
Amid global economic and geopolitical challenges, Ministers emphasized the connection between vulnerability and resilience. The need to strengthen the capacity of Caribbean states to withstand external shocks, including supply chain disruptions and climate-related impacts, was noted as an opportunity for continued cooperation. Ministers underscored the importance of reforming international financial architecture and improving access to concessional financing for vulnerable middle-income Small Island Developing States. The discussions highlighted the importance of disaster preparedness and the transition to clean and renewable energy to strengthen long-term resilience. Ministers also highlighted the need to strengthen correspondent banking relationships and underscored importance of concessional and climate finance options that take into account national vulnerabilities and the capacity to absorb external shocks.
Next Steps
Ministers reaffirmed their commitment to advancing the Canada-CARICOM Strategic Partnership as a mechanism for cooperation. They emphasized the importance of sustained engagement from all countries to successfully implement the new Action Plan and deliver results for Canada and the Caribbean Community.
Ministers agreed to maintain momentum from this meeting by tasking officials to finalize the details of the renewed Action Plan, including identifying priority initiatives, building a workplan for implementation and strengthening reporting, and by convening a Senior Officials' Dialogue this fall to advance implementation and report back to Ministers.
Participants
Christopher SINCKLER, Senior Minister of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade (Co-Chair), Barbados
Frederick A. MITCHELL, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Public Services, The Bahamas
Kamina JOHNSON SMITH, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade, Jamaica
Hugh TODD, Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, Guyana
Alva Romanus BAPTISTE, Minister for External Affairs, International Trade, Civil Aviation and Diaspora Affairs, Saint Lucia
Dwight Fitzgerald BRAMBLE, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Foreign Trade, Foreign Investment and Diaspora Affairs, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines
Elizabeth SOLOMON, Assistant Secretary-General, Foreign and Community Relations, CARICOM Secretariat
H.E. Oscar ARNOLD, Chief Executive Officer, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Foreign Trade, Culture, Science and Technology, Belize
Steve FERROL, High Commissioner of Dominica to Canada, Dominica
Hassan HADEED, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Grenada to the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, Grenada
Jean ESPECA, Director, Economic Affairs and Cooperation, Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Worship, Haiti
Jacinth HENRY-MARTIN, Ambassador to the United States of America and Permanent Representative to the OAS, Saint Kitts and Nevis
Chairmé C. HAAKMAT-KONIGFERANDER, Ambassador to CARICOM and the Association of Caribbean States, Suriname
Akilah SEALE, Chargé d'Affaires to the Republic of Panama, Trinidad and Tobago
