Mark Brantley: COVID damage is deep, recovery will be long and vision must be bold

St Kitts and Nevis: The Foreign Ministers of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) met yesterday on February 19 with their Canadian counterpart, Marc Garneau, during the first virtual meeting of Foreign Ministers in CARICOM and Canada. The Foreign Ministers' dialogue focused on the Covid-19 pandemic and equitable access to vaccines, economic recovery and inclusive growth, and resistance to climate and sustainability - all essential elements in the region's efforts to rebuild better. As the leader of the discussion on COVID-19: Better Reconstruction, Foreign Minister Mark Brantley thanked the Government of Canada for its assistance in enabling the region's ability to respond to the range of challenges that COVID-19 offers by providing PPE and continuous reinforcement to strengthen support by the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) and the Caribbean Health Agency (CARPHA). Minister Brantley emphasized that "if there were ever a time for a real dialogue to address urgent issues collectively in ways that would actually benefit our citizens, then time is clear." He highlighted three critical and relevant areas for collaboration - health systems, access to vaccines, and economic impact.

Noting that the "COVID damage is deep, the recovery will be long and that the vision must be bold," Foreign Minister Brantley sought to instill a sense of purposeful urgency for co-operation tackling the global pandemic. He pushes for the idea of ​​going beyond old development paradigms towards more 'substantive co-operation for sustainable development, including green investments, renewable energy, and the blue economy.

Given the profound impact of the pandemic on the travel and tourism industry in St. Kitts and Nevis, Minister Brantley seized the opportunity to call for the resumption of flights from Canada at the earliest possible opportunity, as well as the continuation of the technical dialogue that began last year between Canada and CARICOM on safe travel and tourism.