(Caribbean Community Secretariat, Turkeyen, Greater Georgetown, Guyana)We, the Heads of State and Government and/or Representatives of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) and the United Mexican States meeting in Bridgetown, Barbados, on the occasion of the Second CARICOM-Mexico Summit.
Committed to deepening and broadening this relationship to contribute not only to the growth and prosperity of the economies of our countries but also to strengthen our coordination in responding to internal challenges and promoting our interests in order to influence global developments;
Received with satisfaction the fruitful report from the Sixth CARICOM Mexico Joint Commission;
Reiterated the need to continue to promote transparency and good governance based upon our common democratic values and principles;
Committed to the advancement of the engagement between CARICOM and Mexico, hereby:
1. Reaffirm the strategic importance of the CARICOM-Mexico relationship based on mutual respect, shared interests, trust and deep friendship and a continued commitment to freedom, democracy, human rights, and the rule of law;
2. Agree to promote the further development of this strategic partnership through the enhancement of the coordination of our positions on the regional and international agenda.
3. Also agree to continue the identification of activities for cooperation in the areas of air and maritime transportation, tourism, energy, port development and trade and investment to be carried out through the CARICOM-Mexico Technical Cooperation Programme.
4. Recognize that the current biennial CARICOM-Mexico cooperation portfolio establishes five major proposals in the fields of Health, Education, Security and Tourism, Economic Development and Public Administration. This portfolio will promote cooperation as an important instrument to support regional integration and sustainable development.
5. Underscore the significance of the Memoranda of Understanding on Higher Education, and on Triangular Cooperation with Haiti, to promote CARICOM-Mexico relations.
6. Mandate Ministers with responsibility for foreign trade and investment matters to explore measures for creating favorable conditions for the expansion and promotion of trade in goods and services and investments by implementing an outreach strategy. This strategy will foster regular exchanges of information on opportunities for trade and investment, and other promotional initiatives including, where possible, meetings of the private sectors of CARICOM Member States and Mexico.
7. Recognise the importance of Tourism to both CARICOM and Mexico as an economic activity that generates economic growth, development, investment, employment and social integration. 8. Mandate the relevant Ministers to take steps to enhance tourism flows between CARICOM and Mexico by exploring more direct routes between CARICOM Member States and Mexico and by exchanging best practices with regard to tourism research, promotion, and overall development of this industry.
9. Agree to strengthen cooperation at the multilateral level within the preparatory process of the United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development, (Rio +20), to be held in Brazil in June of this year to reach common understandings on the concept of the green economy in the context of sustainable development and poverty eradication as well as in the establishment of an efficient and effective institutional framework for sustainable development.
10. Underscore the need to enhance co-ordination and information exchange in order to effectively confront the common threat of transnational organised crime.
11. Reiterate the value of international partner support and the need to maximize the effectiveness and sustainability of that support in order to reduce duplication of efforts and generate a more effective impact on advancing common security objectives in the Caribbean
12, Contribute to the design and implementation of a hemispheric co-operation initiative to confront transnational organized crime as mandated in the special communique of the Sixth Summit of the Americas. In that regard, welcome the first preparatory meeting to accomplish this endeavor to take place in Cancun, Mexico, on 28-29 May 2012.
13 .Applaud and welcome the initiative demonstrated by Mexico, in its capacity as President of the G20, to invite the views of CARICOM on its strategic vision for the G20, as part of its overall goal to establish a forum in which open and constructive dialogue may be facilitated.
14.. Commit to convening the Third Summit to be held in Mexico in 2014, to follow up on the agreements adopted at this meeting.
15. We the Heads of State and Government of the Caribbean Community and Mexico express our appreciation to the Government and People of Barbados for their organization of the Second CARICOM-Mexico Summit and for their hospitality.
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