CANADA – Alliance for Development in Democracy to establish strategic dialogue

By Caribbean News Global

OTTAWA, Canada – In a joint declaration released Friday, Canada, Republic of Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, and the Republic of Panama, members of the Alliance for Development in Democracy (ADD) confirm shared commitment to establish a strategic dialogue to ensure continued collaboration on advancing inclusive economic growth and strengthening democracy in the hemisphere.

The joint declaration advised that with the December 11 declaration by the presidents of the Alliance at Puerto Plata on the need for ministers from the Alliance to engage priorities at the highest level with strategic partners.

The Joint Declaration continued:

“We acknowledge the need to bolster inclusive economic growth and a green transition in the region, and recognize these objectives require collective action in the region. An inclusive and sustainable pandemic recovery can be facilitated by a deepening of our commercial relationships, a promotion of increased flow of trade and investment, and greater investments in education and skills development.

“We are committed to working together to address democratic challenges and prevent the erosion of democracy in our hemisphere. We recognize that rule of law, media freedom and independent judiciaries are fundamentals for stable economies, democracies and attracting foreign investment.

“We express their condemnation of the illegal invasion of Ukraine by Russia and recognize the vulnerabilities– including food insecurity and inflation – that have been exacerbated in the region as a result of this crisis.

“Consequently, Canada, Costa Rica, the Dominican Republic, and Panama will:

• Collaborate and maintain a political dialogue on key foreign policy issues;
• Work to strengthen cooperation on common challenges facing the hemisphere, including through the development of joint initiatives and supporting inclusive and participatory solutions;
• Identify potential opportunities to collaborate on addressing the impacts of climate change;
• Explore how to strengthen trade and investment ties between participants to support an inclusive and sustainable economic and health recovery from the pandemic;
• Collaborate closely with a view to strengthen inclusive democratic societies by protecting civic space, media freedom, gender equality, and promoting freedom of expression, freedom of assembly and association, and freedom of religion or belief.

“To enhance our strategic dialogue, we agreed that Canada would host an event on democracy in the Americas in the coming months.”