(CARIFORUM Directorate, CARICOM Secretariat, Turkeyen, Greater Georgetown, Guyana) - Senior CARIFORUM officials met recently to formulate recommendations to the Council of Ministers of CARIFORUM on the operations of CARIFORUM, the Economic Partnership Agreements, the Samoa Agreement and CARIFORUM-EU Development Cooperation, among other matters.

The meeting was chaired by Mr. Andy Sutherland, Director General, Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade of Belize, which currently holds the Chair of CARIFORUM. He was supported by the Director General of CARIFORUM, Ms. Alexis Downes-Amsterdam.

The session provided an opportunity for Senior Officials to reflect on the actions taken to fulfill the mandates of the Council of Ministers on the various matters, including ensuring coordination of CARIFORUM’s positions.

The Council of Ministers of CARIFORUM, comprises one ministerial representative from each CARIFORUM State, and is the political body that manages the affairs of CARIFORUM. Decisions of CARIFORUM are taken by consensus among the Participating States.

Established in October 1992, the Caribbean Forum of African, Caribbean and Pacific States (CARIFORUM) promotes and coordinates policy dialogue, cooperation, regional integration and trade, now within the framework of the OACPS Partnership Agreement with the European Union.