Declaration of Commitment of Port of Spain

With a focus on the theme of the weekend’s Summit—“Securing Our Citizens’ Future by Promoting Human Prosperity, Energy Security and Environmental Sustainability”—the Declaration of Commitment of Port of Spain outlines key areas in which the countries will work toward common goals.

The 97-paragraph document, which was negotiated by the countries over the past seven months and adopted today by consensus, places an emphasis on fighting poverty and promoting development and social justice, and states that “deep inequalities continue to exist in our countries and in our region.”

Prime Minister Patrick Manning of Trinidad and Tobago, who chaired the Fifth Summit of the Americas, signed the Declaration of Commitment on behalf of the region, following a retreat by the Heads of State and Government held at the Diplomatic Centre in Port of Spain.

The Prime Minister acknowledged that the document had not found unanimous support—when 34 countries are negotiating, he noted, “no one country is likely to get everything that country requires”—but said the leaders agreed to adopt it by consensus. (read more)

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Declaration of Commitment of Port of Spain (full text, pdf)

Foto/Reuters