CARICOM and New Zealand signed a new cooperation agreement at the Seventh CARICOM-New Zealand High-Level Dialogue at the CARICOM Secretariat, Guyana on 6 June 2023.

The two parties agreed to focus on agriculture, renewable energy, disaster risk reductions and skills development through the Manaaki New Zealand Scholarship Programme.

CARICOM Assistant Secretary-General for Foreign and Community Relations, Ambassador Donna Forde signed on behalf of the CARICOM Secretariat, while the Divisional Manager for Global Development and Scholarships of New Zealand’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Joanna Kempkers, signed for New Zealand.

Also present at the High Dialogue were: on behalf of CARICOM, Brian Bellvue, Programme Manager, Foreign and Community Relations; Sandy Griffith, Programme Manager, Resource Mobilisation and Project Support; Shaun Baugh, Programme Manager, Agricultural and Agro-Industrial Development; Alexis Murray, Project Officer, Resource Mobilisation and Technical Assistance, and Irvin Brown, Project Officer, Foreign and Community Relations; and, on behalf of New Zealand were: Sarah Lee Manager, Latin America and the Caribbean, America Division, Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade (MFAT); Lee Nelson Programme Lead, Climate Change, Latin America and the Caribbean, Ministry of Primary Industries and Iñaki Alvarez Camps Policy Officer, Caribbean, Americas DivisionMinistry of Foreign Affairs and Trade (MFAT).