HEADS OF STATE AND GOVERNMENT CONFIRM ATTENDANCE AT THE 5TH SUMMIT OF THE ACS

Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago (April 19th, 2013) – Member States have confirmed attendance to this year’s 5th Summit of Heads of State and/or Government of The Association of Caribbean States (ACS). This year’s Summit will take place in Pétion-Ville, Republic of Haiti during the period April 23rd to 26th, 2013.

The following fifteen (15) Heads of State and Government have confirmed attendance at the 5th Summit of the ACS:

• President of Haiti, His Excellency Michel Martelly

• President of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, His Excellency Nicolás Maduro

• Prime Minister of Antigua and Barbuda, The Honourable Winston Baldwin Spencer

• Prime Minister of The Commonwealth of The Bahamas, The Honourable Perry Christie

• Prime Minister of Belize, The Honourable Dean Oliver Barrow

• President of Colombia, His Excellency Juan Manuel Santos Calderón

• President of Costa Rica, Her Excellency Laura Chinchilla Miranda

• President of the Dominican Republic, His Excellency Danilo Medina Sánchez

• President of Guatemala, His Excellency Otto Pérez Molina

• President of Honduras, His Excellency Porfirio Lobo Sosa

• President of Mexico, His Excellency Enrique Peña Nieto

• President of Panama, His Excellency Ricardo Alberto Martinelli Berrocal

• Prime Minister of St. Kitts and Nevis, The Honourable Denzil Douglas

• President of Suriname, His Excellency Desiré Delano Bouterse

• President of Chile, His Excellency Sebastián Piñera (ACS Observer Country)

It has also been confirmed that six (6) Government Ministers from the ACS Member States and Associate Member States will be representing their countries at this year’s Summit. These include Barbados, Grenada, Guyana, El Salvador, France and Trinidad and Tobago.

Among the Observer Countries who will be attending are South Korea, Finland, Argentina, Spain and Serbia.

Secretary Generals from other regional organizations such as the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) and the Latin American and Caribbean Economic System (SELA) will be in attendance as well as representatives from the Central American Integration System (SICA) and the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC).

At the official launch of the Summit which took place on Wednesday, April 3rd, 2013, President of the Republic of Haiti, His Excellency, Michel Martelly and Minister of Foreign Affairs and Worship, the Honourable Pierre Richard Casimir, both expressed that it is an honour to host the auspicious event, which bears certain historic significance for Haiti, as it is the country’s first time hosting an international Summit.

Among the issues to be addressed at the 5th Summit of the Association of Caribbean States, themed: “Revitalizing the Vision of the Association of Caribbean States for a Stronger and More United Greater Caribbean,” are sustainable tourism, trade, air and maritime transport and disaster risk reduction.

The Association maintains that the Summit intends to not only facilitate discussion, but aims to approve the Declaration of Haiti, a document on institutional transformation of the future of the ACS, as well as the Plan of Action, which seeks to strengthen the concerted and collaborative strategy for cooperation in the thrust for development of the Member and Associate Member States of the region.

Since its establishment, the ACS has organised four (4) Summits of Heads of State and Government, which took place in Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago, in August 1995; Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, in April 1999; Margarita Island, Venezuela, in December 2001; and Panama City, Republic of Panama, in July 2005.