By Nelson A. King
U.S. Secretary of State Antony J.
Blinken met virtually on Wednesday
with foreign ministers from the Caribbean
Community (CARICOM) member
states “to demonstrate the United
States’ commitment to working with
all countries in the region to advance
bilateral and regional interests.”
The State Department said foreign
ministers from Antigua & Barbuda, The
Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Dominica,
Grenada, Guyana, Jamaica, Haiti, St.
Lucia, St. Kitts & Nevis, Suriname, and
Trinidad & Tobago participated in the
event, along with the Minister of State
for Foreign Affairs of St. Vincent & the
Grenadines.
“Secretary Blinken emphasized the
strong partnership between the United
States and the Caribbean, plans to
manage the COVID-19 pandemic and
promote a regional economic recovery,
cooperation on increasing climate
resilience, and continued collaborations
on strengthening security, democratic
values and human rights,” said the U.S.
State Department in a statement.
Caribbean L 8 ife, APR. 30-MAY 6, 2021
The meeting came ahead of President
Joe Biden’s invitation of two Caribbean
prime ministers to his “Leaders
Summit on Climate” to take place virtually
at the White House on Thursday
and Friday.
A White House statement said
Antigua and Barbuda Prime Minister
Gaston Browne and his Jamaican counterpart,
Andrew Holness, are invited to
the summit among 40 world leaders.
The White House noted that President
Biden “took action” his first day in
office to return the United States to the
Paris Agreement on Climate Change.
Days later, on Jan. 27, he announced
that he would soon convene a leaders
summit “to galvanize efforts by the
major economies to tackle the climate
crisis,” the White House said.
It said that the “Leaders Summit on
Climate” will underscore the urgency –
and the economic benefits – of stronger
climate action.
“It will be a key milestone on the road
to the United Nations Climate Change
Conference (COP26) this November
in Glasgow (Scotland),” the statement
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken. Frederic J. Brown/Pool via REUTERS
said.
In recent years, it said scientists have
underscored the need to limit planetary
warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius in order
to stave off the worst impacts of climate
change.
“A key goal of both the ‘Leaders
Summit’ and COP26 will be to catalyze
efforts that keep that 1.5-degree
goal within reach,” the White House
said. “The summit will also highlight
examples of how enhanced climate
ambition will create good paying jobs,
advance innovative technologies, and
help vulnerable countries adapt to climate
impacts.”
By the time of the summit, the
White House said the United States will
announce an ambitious 2030 emissions
target as its new “Nationally Determined
Contribution” under the Paris
Agreement.
In his invitation, Biden urged leaders
to use the summit as “an opportunity to
outline how their countries also will contribute
to stronger climate ambition.”
US Secretary of State holds
roundtable with CARICOM
foreign ministers
NOT BEING SURE HOW YOU ARE
GOING TO PAY THE BILLS CAN GET TO YOU COVID-19 has caused many
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treatment options
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counseling or medications to help treat opioid addiction. Health
NYCDOH_COVID_OD_Can_Get_to_You_Pub_CNGPublications_8.75x5.6_EN_v1b.indd 1 3/29/21 1:39 PM
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