Guatemala to Host Meeting of the Association of Caribbean States

Ciudad de Guatemala, March 9, 2015 (PL).- The Twentieth Regular Meeting of Council of Ministers of the Association of Caribbean States (ACS) will be held tomorrow in Antigua Guatemala, located 45 kilometers southwest of the capital, reported the Foreign Ministry.

This type of meeting is convened annually by the Council of Ministers, the main governing body of the Association, which is composed of ministers and/or representatives of the Member States, the source said in a statement.

This council, said the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Guatemala, defines the policies to be established in the Agreement Establishing the ACS and in the Declaration by the Heads of State and/or Government.

Some of its functions are to monitor the work of the General Secretariat, appoint the Secretary-General, create special committees and convene the Summit of Heads of State and/or Government, as well as approving work plans and budget.

According to the agenda the Guatemalan Foreign Minister Carlos Morales, president of the Council of Ministers and the Secretary General of the ACS, the Colombian Alfonso Munera, will participate in the opening ceremony of the event.

One of the objectives of the meeting is to appoint the president, two vice presidents and a rapporteur of the Board of the Council of Ministers and members of the Council of National Representatives of the Special Fund for the period 2015-2016.

It also includes the election of the members of the Executive Boards of the Special Committees on Trade Development and External Economic Relations, Transport, Sustainable Tourism, Disaster Risk Reduction, Management and Budget.