Ambassador Bazard Participates in OACPS Heads of State Summit
Her Excellency Cheryl E. Bazard, Ambassador to the Kingdom of Belgium and Mission to the European Union in her first week in office participated in 10th Summit of The Organisation of African, Caribbean and Pacific States (OACPS) Heads of State and Government in Luanda, Angola from 6th-10th December, 2022. The Summit was held under the theme “3 Continents, 3 Oceans, 1 Common Destiny: Building a Resilient and Sustainable OACPS”. The delegation was headed by The Honourable Philip E. Davis, Prime Minister of the Commonwealth of The Bahamas who also acted in the capacity of Chair for the Caribbean region and was a keynote speaker in the opening ceremony.
Her Excellency Cheryl E. Bazard, Ambassador to the Kingdom of Belgium and Mission to the European Union and Mr Antonio V. Butler Jr, Foreign Service Officer
The Organisation of African, Caribbean and Pacific States (OACPS) is a group of countries in Africa, the Caribbean, and the Pacific, created by the Georgetown Agreement in 1975. The organisation’s main objectives are sustainable development and poverty reduction within its member states and greater integration into the world’s economy.
The following priority areas for the Government of The Bahamas were debated with interventions at the Summit: EU lists of Non- Cooperative Jurisdiction for tax Purposes an Anti-Money Laundering and Counter-Terrorism Financing (AML/CFT and Tax Governance Matters), Trade and Development Partnerships within the OACPS – Status of the Revised Georgetown Agreement and the Status of the New OACPS-EU Partnership Agreement and improving access to Climate Change financing for Small Island Developing States (SIDS).
Furthermore, The Bahamas held meetings with Strategic Partners regarding building resilience in relation to climate change, regional security challenges, economic diversification, value chain development and fostering investment and MSME competitiveness and trade among OACPS member states.
During the Summit, the Prime Minister of The Bahamas formally introduced Her Excellency Cheryl Bazard, Ambassador to the Kingdom of Belgium and Mission to the European Union to representatives of fellow OACPS member states, European Union (EU) officials and to Heads of International and Regional Organisations such as The Commonwealth, CARICOM and the African Union.
At the conclusion of the Summit, the draft Declaration was adopted. The Bahamas endorsed the use of the declaration to support upcoming resolutions and petitions to be presented at the United Nations and at the International Court of Justice in January/February 2023.
Her Excellency Cheryl Bazard was supported at the Summit by Mr. Antonio V. Butler Jr, Foreign Service Officer, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Nassau, The Bahamas.
From left to right: Mr Kirk Cornish, M.P., Parliamentary Secretary, The Hon. Ginger Moxey, Minister for Grand Bahama, The Rt. Hon. Patricia Scotland K.C., Commonwealth Secretary-General, The Hon. Philip E. Davis, K.C., Prime Minister of the Commonwealth of The Bahamas, Mr Creswell Sturrup, Permanent Secretary