Demerara Waves Online News- Guyana Riding on the Crest of Truth
Last Updated on Saturday, 18 November 2023, 8:34 by Denis Chabrol
CARICOM leaders, CARICOM Secretary General Dr Carla Barnett and the Prime Minister of Saudi Arabia Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud
The 15-nation Caribbean Community (CARICOM) has formally agreed to back Saudi Arabia’s bid to host Expo 2030 in Riyadh and the establishment of an international water organisation, in exchange for support in a range of areas including combatting climate change and boosting trade, investment and food security, according to a joint statement.
The leaders declared to support Saudi Arabia’s bid to host Expo 2030 in Riyadh mindful that individual CARICOM Member States have pledged their support for Saudi Arabia’s candidature to host Expo 2030.
The CARICOM-Saudi decision came days before the Bureau International des Expositions’ 173rd general assembly on November 28 when countries would by majority vote to pick either Saudi Arabia, Republic of Korea or Italy to host the World Expo. Saudi Arabia hopes to host the event between October 1, 2030 to March 31, 2031 under the theme “The Era of Change: Together for a Foresighted Tomorrow.”
If all goes according to planned, Saudi Arabia is guaranteed 14 Caribbean votes as Britain is responsible for the foreign policy of its dependency Montserrat.
CARICOM and Saudi Arabia, in the joint statement issued on Friday, highlighted the importance of organizing regional and international exhibitions to reenergize economic and cultural exchanges between Saudi Arabia and CARICOM.
The summit with regional leaders was co-chaired by Prime Minister and Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud and CARICOM Chairman, Dominica’s Prime Minister Roosevelt Skerritt. CARICOM Secretary General Dr Carla Barnett was also in attendance.
CARICOM also lent its support to Saudi Arabia’s candidacy to host the 2034 FIFA World Cup. Saudi Arabia was the only country to have submitted a bid in late October before the deadline closed. The two sides welcomed the fact that the Caribbean would host the ICC T20 World Cup in 2024 and Saudi Arabia to host the 2034 FIFA World Cup.
The region and that Gulf State supported Riyadh’s announcement about the establishment of an international water organization based in Riyadh, calling for further decisive global action.
Between now and the next CARICOM-Saudi Arabia Summit in 2026, the two sides agreed to consult and explore cooperation on specific areas of common interest between both sides. These include scholarships, health, maritime cooperation, connectivity, logistics, food security, energy security, tourism economic and other possible areas of cooperation, where appropriate, including the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
The promotion of trade and investment relations between Saudi Arabia and CARICOM, by enhancing public-private partnership and business-to-business relations between both regions, using available and new physical and online platforms, trade missions, exhibitions, seminars, conferences, and dialogue was also agreed to by leaders.
Areas of possible investment that have been identified are sustainable infrastructure, renewables, trade, tourism, logistics, and connectivity, sustainable and circular agriculture, promotion of sustainable food production, sustainable use and management of water resources and promotion trade and investment opportunities in food and agri-based industries.
CARICOM and Saudi Arabia also said they would promote cultural and creative industries through cultural festivals, art exhibitions, film festivals, workshops, book fairs and other events. Furthermore, encourage the exchange of best practices and capacity building in the areas of museology, protection, conservation and the restoration of cultural and historical heritage.
They also plan to promote cooperation in the area of tourism, including heritage, cruise, sustainable and ecotourism, medical and wellness, tourism, by undertaking benchmarking activities, joint tourism investments, and strengthening capacity-building.
Stress the importance and urgency of promoting joint action towards mitigating climate change and adapting to its impacts, protecting the environment and developing low carbon and clean energy technologies.
The leaders also welcomed Saudi Arabia’s Middle East Green Initiative (MGI), and its announcement to establish and host a dedicated MGI Secretariat and allocate US $2.5 billion to support MGI projects and governance. It was not immediately clear whether the Caribbean would be able to benefit from MGI, but the two sides committed to fight climate change urgently by reducing emissions, adopting renewable energy production, and clean technologies including for abatement and removal.
CARICOM leaders and the Prime Minister of Saudi Arabia declared that they would promote equitable promoting equitable access to climate financing for Small Island Developing States (SIDS) to support mitigation and adaptation measures, and find innovative technical solutions that would accelerate the transition to low-emission economies, and continue to explore sustainable and inclusive pathways to implement the goals of the Paris Agreement.