Barbados lone CARICOM country to participate in Americas Partnership

The United States Department of State says that Barbados is the only Caribbean Community (CARICOM) to participate this week in the Americas Partnership for Economic Prosperity (“Americas Partnership”) foreign affairs track Ministerial meeting.

The State Department said on Thursday that US Secretary of State Antony will host the American Partnership on Wednesday that involves foreign ministers from the 12 Americas Partnership countries – the United States, Barbados, Canada, Chile, Costa Rica, Colombia, the Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Mexico, Panama, Peru and Uruguay.

The State Department said Blinken and the foreign ministers will discuss “ongoing collaboration to fulfill the hemisphere’s potential to foster inclusive, sustainable, and shared prosperity for all. 

“During the Ministerial, Americas Partnership members will review progress on commitments made by leaders at the inaugural Americas Partnership Summit on November 3, 2023,” it said. “The Americas Partnership seeks as its overarching goal to make the Americas the most economically competitive region in the world.”

In this regard, the State Department said the ministers will “identify opportunities to build on the initiative’s early successes in expanding entrepreneurship to foster greater innovation, broadening access to training in the digital economy, advancing clean energy and decarbonization goals, bolstering the rule of law, and strengthening food security and sustainable food production.” 

On Jun. 8, 2022, US President Joe Biden launched the Americas Partnership initiative at the Ninth Summit of Americas “to deepen economic integration, create well-paying jobs, and promote competitiveness, resilience and innovation in the Western Hemisphere,” the State Department said. 

“By driving regional competitiveness and providing tangible benefits for our people, the Americas Partnership aims to serve as an enduring, dynamic forum that helps partners effectively and collectively tackle the most pressing economic issues in the hemisphere,” it said. 

The State Department said the Jul. 17 foreign affairs track Ministerial covers one of the three Americas Partnership tracks, following the 2024 Finance Ministerial held on April 19 and ahead of the Trade Ministerial expected later in the year.