Canada pledges CDN $81.41-million to replenish CDB special fund  

The Canadian government has pledged CDN $81.41-million for the replenishment of the Caribbean Development Bank’s Special Development Fund.  

In a release the Canadian High Commission here said that Canadian Foreign Affairs Minister, Marc Garneau and his Belizean counterpart, Eamon Courtenay who is also the incoming Chair of the Council for Foreign and Community Relations of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM), co-chaired the first meeting of the Canada-CARICOM Foreign Ministers’ Group. This forum serves as a platform for Canada and Caribbean partners to discuss shared priorities and opportunities for coordinated action. 

During the meeting, the ministers exchanged views on their countries’ coordinated response to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, identified shared priorities in achieving inclusive economic growth in the region and discussed areas of collaboration on climate resilience to support an inclusive and sustainable recovery. 

Minister Garneau affirmed Canada’s strong support for the COVAX facility, and Canada’s commitment to continue encouraging others to provide additional support needed by this key multilateral partnership to ensure equitable access to vaccines globally. Minister Garneau also announced an CDN $81.41-million pledge for the replenishment of the Caribbean Development Bank’s Special Development Fund and a commitment of CDN $9-million to the World Food Programme to support logistics and tackle food insecurity. The high commission said Canada and Caribbean countries share deep and long-standing friendships based on people-to-people ties, shared political values, dynamic trade relations and a commitment to inclusive economic growth and climate resilience.