Foreign Minister participates in Tenth Italy-Latin America and the Caribbean Conference

The Honourable Hugh Hilton Todd, Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation participated in the Tenth Italy-Latin America and the Caribbean Conference on 25 and 26 October 2021, in Rome, Italy.

The Conference was hosted by His Excellency Luigi di Maio, Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation of Italy under the theme “People, Planet, Prosperity: The Future of an Age Old Partnership” and saw participation from Ministers and Deputy Ministers of Foreign Affairs from across Latin America and the Caribbean; and representatives of regional and international organisations. 

Minister Todd participated in the thematic panel on Planet – Starting anew from Sea and Climate: Coastal and Port Towns at the Heart of the Recovery on 26 October 2021. During his presentation, Minister Todd welcomed the engagement between Italy and Latin America and the Caribbean to further explore the advancement of the partnership, in areas such as climate change, sustainable use, protection and the conservation of ocean resources.

Minister Todd emphasised that the Caribbean remains vulnerable to the effects of climate change and reiterated the call for climate financing to ensure adaptation and mitigation measures to address loss and damage with priority access for Small Island Developing States.

Further, Minister Todd highlighted that Guyana’s Low Carbon Development Strategy (LCDS) caters to the development of a sustainable ocean economy and Guyana’s commitment to the 2030 Agenda and the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

Prior to the plenary and simultaneous thematic panels, the Foreign Minister attended a Special Event on 25 October 2021, on Italy’s Falcone-Borsellino Programme, which covered Italy’s initiative of legal diplomacy and technical assistance in the field of justice and security for Latin American and Caribbean Countries to combat transnational organised crime.

The conference coincided with Italy’s chairmanship of the G20 which is being undertaken along the lines of the three (3) thematic areas addressed and the outcomes are expected to feed into the promotion of inclusive policies at the G20 level.

The conference concluded with MOUs on Cooperation between CARICOM and Italy and between the Association of Caribbean States (ACS) and Italy.