The Ministry of Foreign Relations reported that the summit ended with a call for the region’s unification to address the major common challenges. The nations of the Caribbean have committed to work together to find solutions to the sargassum affecting the region’s coasts, the Ministry of Foreign Relations reports.
In a press release, the Ministry of Foreign Relations highlighted that the Dominican Republic achieved the unanimous acclamation of all the countries that make up the Association of Caribbean States (ACS) to address sargassum as a regional emergency due to the threat it poses to regional development.
Foreign Minister Roberto Alvarez represented the Dominican Republic at the 9th Association of Caribbean States (ACS) Summit of Heads of State and/or Government held in Antigua, Guatemala on 12 May 2023.
“The proliferation of sargassum represents a present threat to the livelihoods of tens of thousands of people in the Greater Caribbean; it sickens and kills the fish that communities depend on for food; it obstructs the passage of small and large boats; it dirties and overwhelms our beaches, the main attraction of Caribbean tourism, and with the beaches the direct tourism industry and the small industries that indirectly benefit from it. Its simple bad odor and toxic gases reduce the quality of life and potentially affect the health of those who are in its presence,” said the Minister of Foreign Affairs during his presentation at the summit in Guatemala.
Foreign Minister Álvarez called the attention of those present to the rising sea level that deepens vulnerabilities and affects the resilience of the Greater Caribbean, as it brings as a consequence the contamination of drinking water, the decrease of agricultural production capacities, the increase of floods that may be generated on the coast and the flooding of most of the islands due to the receding coasts.
“Added to this are the foreseeable demographic problems due to migration of the population affected by this phenomenon and the disappearance of Caribbean beaches, one of the main tourist attractions we share as a region,” he stated.
Foreign Minister Alvarez also stressed that in the face of the economic, political, social and cultural threats that arise in the current context, multilateralism is of capital importance, since, outside international forums, the possibilities of effective advocacy are reduced.
“To face the global challenges of the 21st century, it is necessary to reform and strengthen the structures and policies that emanate from these institutions (…) The international system needs to evolve towards a more horizontal and agile order. This implies greater participation of developing countries in decision-making, a new global financial architecture that does not penalize middle-income countries, and greater flexibility in the way global problems are addressed,” added Minister Álvarez.
During his participation in the IX Summit of Heads of State and/or Government of the ACS, Roberto Álvarez was accompanied by Vice Minister Hugo Francisco Rivera; the Director of Trade Integration, Carmen Elena Ibarra, and the Dominican Ambassador to Guatemala, Sara Paulino.
Read more in Spanish:
Ministry of Environment
Presidency
Antigua, Guatemala Declaration
15 May 2023