Ministry of Foreign Affairs Hosts 15th High-Level Forum on Korea–Caribbean Partnership

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries of the Republic of Korea jointly hosted the 15th High-Level Forum on the Korea-Caribbean Partnership in Seoul on November 18.

Held under the theme of "Korea-Caribbean Cooperation for a Resilient and Sustainable Ocean," the Forum brought together high-level government officials from six Caribbean countries - Trinidad and Tobago, Belize, the Dominican Republic, The Bahamas, Grenada and Guyana - as well as representatives from the Caribbean Community (CARICOM), resident and non-resident ambassadors of Caribbean states to Korea, and maritime sector experts.

Participants from the Caribbean side included the following: Sean Sobers, Minister of Foreign and CARICOM Affairs of Trinidad and Tobag; Andre Perez, Minister of Blue Economy and Marine Conservation of Belize; Jose Reyes, Vice Minister of Coastal and Marine Resources of the Dominican Republic; Jerusa Ali, Director General of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of The Bahamas; Jerry Enoe, Special Envoy for Oceans of Grenada; and Marsha Caddett, Director of the Bilateral Affairs Department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation of Guyana.

The Korea-Caribbean High-Level Forum, which has been held annually since 2011, serves as a regularly-convened high-level dialogue platform between Korea and the Caribbean region.

In her opening remarks, Eui-hae Cecilia Chung, Deputy Minister for Political Affairs at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, noted that Korea and the Caribbean have pursued a wide range of cooperative projects in oceans, climate change and related fields toward the shared goals of ocean conservation and sustainable development. She also expressed her expectation that Korea, with its advanced smart maritime technologies, would continue to contribute to the realization of the Caribbean region's blue economy.

Vice Minister Seo Jeong-ho of the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries, in his welcome remarks, stressed that the essential characteristics of the ocean lie in connectivity and solidarity, and expressed his hope that countries sharing oceans would strengthen cooperation to address the marine challenges facing the global community. He also called for continued interest in and support for the Republic of Korea's bid to host the 4th United Nations Ocean Conference (UNOC4) in 2028.

In his congratulatory remarks, Minister of Trinidad and Tobago Sean Sobers underscored that the Caribbean region has lately suffered severe economic and social damage due to hurricanes and sargassum influxes, and expressed his hope that the Forum would present timely and practical measures for Korea-Caribbean maritime cooperation.

Forum participants shared policy visions and best practices for cooperation in such areas as addressing marine pollution, decarbonization and digitalization in port management, and promotion of maritime tourism as part of the blue economy. They also exchanged views on the development and implementation of future Korea-Caribbean maritime cooperation projects utilizing a nexus between Korea's advanced maritime technologies and the Caribbean region's cooperation needs.

Meanwhile, Caribbean participants are scheduled to visit the Busan Port Authority and the Korea Institute of Ocean Science and Technology (KIOST) on November 19 (Wednesday), where they will have the opportunity to experience firsthand Korea's excellent maritime and port technologies.