Remarks by Vice President Harris in Virtual Meeting with Caribbean Leaders

Via Teleconference

16:36 EST

THE VICE PRESIDENT: Good afternoon, everyone. Good evening. Thank you all for joining us today for this very important meeting. I’m Kamala Harris, and it’s my pleasure to welcome you all to this conversation and this meeting.

As a neighbor in the Western Hemisphere, the United States shares a common bond with the nations of the Caribbean. As neighbors, we know that our partnership is key to our shared prosperity and security.

We also know that we have common challenges. And that’s why I’ve called this meeting: to strengthen our partnership and chart a path forward together.

As we all know, our nations have extensive people-to-people ties. Millions of Americans have Caribbean heritage. Millions of Americans travel to the Caribbean each year on vacation, to visit friends and family, and to engage with the richness of that history.

From South Florida to New York and beyond, Caribbean culture has become a significant part of American culture. And we are all grateful for that.

At the same time, we recognize that we collectively find ourselves in a challenging time. The pandemic has changed so many aspects of our lives and the lives of our people. And economic recovery has been difficult and uneven for many in this region.

There is also an existential threat that we collectively face in the climate crisis, and we are well aware that global emissions have a huge impact on the Caribbean.

In light of this, I want to be clear: America is committed to you, our neighbors, and together we will meet these challenges. Summons like this have not happened very often. So today, as a demonstration of our administration’s commitment, I’m proposing that this be an annual meeting.

Of course, today we have a lot to discuss. And there are three areas in particular that I’m going to ask you to focus on, areas that I know are a priority for many of you: economic recovery, security and climate, and energy.

On the subject of economic recovery, the United States is the Caribbean’s largest economic partner. This partnership benefits the US economy just as it benefits their economies. So we’re going to explore today how we can strengthen that economic partnership.

On the subject of security, I know that many of you are particularly concerned about drug and arms trafficking and the associated violence. That’s why today’s agenda includes a discussion of additional funding and other support the United States can offer to reduce violence in the region.

And third, we will discuss the urgent issue for our entire planet: the issue of the climate crisis. In particular, we will discuss ways to strengthen your climate resilience and accelerate the transition to a clean energy economy.

Your input will help guide America’s effort in the days and months ahead.

To each of you: I thank you for being here and I thank you for the work we have done and will continue to do together. I look forward to our discussion today and our meeting in Los Angeles at the Summit of the Americas in June.

Thanks to members of the press who are watching these opening remarks. We will now proceed with the rest of our meeting. Thank you.