Panama hosts Association of Caribbean States meeting, emphasizes cooperation
Translated from Spanish, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.
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- Panama is hosting the 31st Ordinary Meeting of the Council of Ministers of the Association of Caribbean States (ACS), presided over by Foreign Minister Javier Martínez-Acha.
- The meeting emphasizes dialogue, cooperation, and unity among diverse Caribbean nations, especially in the context of the Bicentennial of the Amphictyonic Congress of Panama.
- Discussions focus on collective responses to climate change, economic vulnerability, social challenges, and strengthening the ACS into a more dynamic and results-oriented mechanism.
Panama is currently hosting the 31st Ordinary Meeting of the Council of Ministers of the Association of Caribbean States (ACS), with the nation's Foreign Minister, Javier Martínez-Acha, presiding over the proceedings. The gathering, held on Sunday, June 21, brings together representatives from across the region.
This meeting acquires special significance as it is held in the context of the Bicentennial of the Amphictyonic Congress of Panama, one of the first expressions of multilateralism and a vision that remains valid today.
Minister Martínez-Acha welcomed participants, highlighting the meeting's significance as a bridge between diverse regions, cultures, and economies. He emphasized the importance of dialogue, cooperation, and unity amidst diversity, noting that the event coincides with the Bicentennial of the Amphictyonic Congress of Panama, an early expression of multilateralism.
The foreign minister stressed that the future of the Caribbean depends on regional support, particularly in addressing the impacts of climate change, economic vulnerabilities, and social challenges. He called for collective responses grounded in concrete action and effective cooperation.
The future of the Caribbean will be better if it is built with full regional support.
Martínez-Acha detailed Panama's efforts to enhance the ACS, aiming to transform it into a more dynamic, efficient, and results-driven organization. He pointed to the development of a strategic plan towards 2035 as a roadmap for aligning priorities and fostering a shared vision for sustainable development. Initiatives promoting climate resilience, regional collectivity, sustainable tourism, and addressing the situation in Haiti were also highlighted, underscoring solidarity as a core ACS principle.
The effects of climate change, economic vulnerability, and social challenges require collective responses based on action and effective cooperation.
He acknowledged that a key challenge is moving from consultation to action, with the meeting seeking to increase the Caribbean's global visibility and its capacity to respond effectively to the needs of its people. Martínez-Acha affirmed Panama's role in connecting the current global order and advocating for a new one based on international law.
We have promoted initiatives aimed at facilitating resources for concrete problems, such as climate resilience, regional collectivity, and sustainable tourism, as well as the situation in Haiti, reaffirming solidarity as a great principle of the ACS.
DistantNews Editorial
Originally published by TVN Panamá in Spanish. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.
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