Collectivité First Vice President Alain Richardson (third from left) with other delegates at the 31st meeting of the Association of Caribbean States in Panama City.
MARIGOT--On June 20 and 21, 2026, the Collectivité of Saint-Martin was represented by First Vice-President Alain Richardson, accompanied by Cyrielle Cuirassier in charge of External Action and Commissioner of Saint-Martin to the Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS), at the 31st Ordinary Meeting of the Council of Ministers of the Association of Caribbean States (ACS), held under the chairmanship of Panama, in Panama City.
Organised in a context marked by the desire to strengthen regional cooperation, this meeting brought together the member states and territories of the ACS around the major challenges of the Caribbean.
The delegations present (United Arab Emirates (UAE) Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), Italy, and South Korea as a strategic partner) reaffirmed their commitment to dialogue, regional solidarity and multilateralism that guide any action within the Caribbean space. The participation of Saint-Martin was of particular importance in the context of the process of revitalisation of the ACS, which opened up new perspectives for associate members.
Among the advances directly beneficial to the territory, the creation of the TIPO network, dedicated to the promotion of trade and investment by Caribbean VSEs/SMEs. The President of the Chamber of Commerce (CCISM), Angèle Dormoy, will represent Saint-Martin.
Other concrete achievements are underway within the ACS, including a digital platform for fisheries education, the restoration of coral reefs with the support of Japan, the use of European satellite technologies in disaster management and sustainable tourism, and the Smart Carib platform project led by Martinique.
The Panamanian Presidency, represented by the Minister of Foreign Affairs H.E. Javier Eduardo Martínez-Acha Vásquez, has distinguished itself by organising "Investment
Roundtables" in order to generate donor commitments and mobilise resources in the face of common challenges: the proliferation of sargassum, multi-destination tourism, coastal resilience.
One of the highlights of the 2025-2026 work is the adoption of a new strategic plan for 2035, with five priorities: environment, trade, natural disaster management, transport and connectivity, sustainable tourism.
The 2035 Strategic Plan marks a key milestone for the ACS in strengthening regional cooperation and defining a common vision for the development of the Greater Caribbean. By choosing consensus, the Greater Caribbean thus reaffirms the value of regional dialogue, collective vision and concerted action as bases for future development.
This framework strengthens the resilience of the region by integrating issues such as climate justice, the blue economy, digital sovereignty and cultural integration. This ACS Council of Ministers made it possible to adopt the Regional Action Plan for Haiti, which follows the Montería Declaration and the strategic high-level panel "Haiti cannot wait", in January 2026.
Co-constructed in partnership with Mexico, Haiti is taking the lead on the institutional, security and humanitarian issues facing the country. Now under the presidency of Nicaragua, the ACS will continue to implement projects aimed at strengthening the integration, resilience and sustainable development of the peoples of the Greater Caribbean.
As underlined by First Vice-President Alain Richardson: "The participation of Saint-Martin confirms the desire of our Collectivité to be fully involved in regional dynamics and to seize the opportunities offered by Caribbean cooperation.
