11^th High-Level Forum on Korea-Caribbean Partnership to be Held

1. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs, together with the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) and the Association of Caribbean States (ACS), will hold the “11^th High-Level Forum on the Korea-Caribbean Partnership” in the morning on December 1^st.

ㅇ This Forum, to be held under the theme of “Comprehensive Digital and Green Partnership,” will explore ways to strengthen substantive cooperation with Caribbean states mainly in the areas of responding to climate change and infectious diseases, and cooperation on digital agriculture in the post-COVID-19 era.

※ The “High-Level Forum on the Korea-Caribbean Partnership,” launched in 2011, is an annual dialogue mechanism to discuss ways to enhance cooperation between Korea and the Caribbean by inviting high-level representatives from the Caribbean governments and regional organizations.

2. The upcoming Forum will feature opening remarks by Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs Choi Jong Kun, welcoming remarks by ACS Secretary-General Rodolfo Sabonge and congratulatory remarks by Reita Toussaint, Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Foreign and CARICOM Affairs of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago, who will be paying the first high-level visit to Korea from the Caribbean region since the COVID-19 pandemic.

ㅇ The opening ceremony will be followed by keynote speeches under the theme the Vision of Innovation and Future Cooperation between Korea and the Caribbean region in the post-COVID-19 era by CARICOM Secretary-General Carla Barnett, who took office in August this year, and Ambassador of Barbados to the UN François Jackman, respectively.

3. In Session 1 to be held under the theme “Strengthening Korea-Caribbean Cooperation to Respond to Climate Change”(moderator: Director-General for Latin American and Caribbean Affairs of MOFA Choi Jong-uk), participants from the Korea Meteorological Administration (KMA), the Green Technology Center (GTC), the Jamaican Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade and the Association of Caribbean States (ACS) will make presentations and take part in discussions.

ㅇ In Session 2 to be held under the theme “Exploring Sustainable Korea-CARICOM Cooperation Fund Projects”(moderator: Director-General for International Cooperation of the Ministry of Health and Welfare (MOHW) Yoon Chan-Sik), participants from Korea’s Rural Development Administration (KRDA), Seoul National University Bundang Hospital, the Caribbean Agricultural Research and Development Institute (CARDI) and the Caribbean Public Health Agency (CARPHA) will make presentations.

4. Korea and Caribbean countries have traditionally worked together on the international stage including the United Nations. The two sides have continually cooperated on climate change, disaster response, energy and digital transformation through the High-Level Forum and development cooperation projects.

ㅇ In particular, Korea offered humanitarian assistance worth $1 million to the Caribbean countries for their response to COVID-19 last year.

5. The upcoming Forum will be broadcast live online through the social network channel of the Foreign Ministry’s Latin American and Caribbean Affairs Bureau (Youtube Keyword: Latin Plaza by MOFA KR) and is thus expected to help enhance Koreans’ understanding and awareness on the Caribbean region.