WE, the Heads of State and Government of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) and of the Republic of Cuba, meeting in Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago, on 8 December 2011 on the occasion of the Fourth CARICOM-Cuba Summit;

Recalling the Declaration of Havana adopted on the occasion of the First Summit commemorating the historic establishment of diplomatic relations between the then independent Member States of the Caribbean Community and the Republic of Cuba and, subsequently, the Bridgetown and Santiago de Cuba Declarations which have guided the evolving partnership between the CARICOM family of nations and the Republic of Cuba;

Reiterating our firm commitment to the principles and purposes enshrined in the Charter of the United Nations, to multilateralism and to the fundamental principles of international law, including respect for the sovereign equality of States, non-intervention and non-interference in domestic affairs, prohibition of the threat or the use of force in international relations, respect for territorial integrity, the peaceful settlement of disputes and the sovereign right of the citizens of every country to freely determine their political system and institutions, in peace, stability and justice; Recognising the Republic of Cuba as an integral part of our vibrant and diverse Caribbean region and our shared identity, as well as the need for a collaborative approach in the promotion and protection of our common values, objectives and interests in various regional and international fora;

Reaffirming our shared conviction that places the human person at the centre of the development process;

Renewing our unwavering commitment to South-South cooperation and regional cooperation specifically as one of the central strategies for confronting the challenges to the sustainable development and welfare of our peoples posed by the volatility of the current international environment particularly in the areas of food security, nutrition and energy;

Celebrating the achievements thus far in our enhanced partnership through cooperation in education, health, medicine, culture, sports, trade and other areas of mutual interest for the benefit of our populations;

Cognisant of the ever-present challenges to the well-being of our populations posed by the prevalence of HIV/AIDS and non-communicable diseases in the Caribbean;

Cognisant also of the vulnerability of the region to natural disasters, adverse weather patterns, climate change and external economic shocks;

Desirous of a favourable and substantive outcome of the 17th Conference of Parties (COP 17) of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change in Durban, South Africa, 28 November – 9 December 2011, that meets the expectations of AOSIS Member States and of CARICOM and the Republic of Cuba in particular;

Noting with deep concern the continued threats posed by the illegal trade in narcotics and small arms and light weapons, the growing phenomenon of trafficking in persons and the consequent impact that these phenomena have on development efforts and social welfare of the people of the region;

Reaffirming our strong rejection of the unjust and cruel economic, commercial and financial embargo against the Republic of Cuba, and the extraterritorial measures aimed at extending the reach of the embargo to include third countries;

Viewing with concern the lack of real progress in the conclusion of the Doha Development Agenda and the attendant challenges faced by developing countries of the Caribbean in their efforts to participate fully and effectively in the process geared to the establishment of a rules-based fair trading system which takes full account of their special development needs;