Belize Participates in Historic India-CARICOM Summit

Minister of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade, Francis Fonseca, is representing Belize at the second India-CARICOM Summit in Guyana.

The India-CARICOM Summit brings together leaders from India and the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) to explore ways of enhancing bilateral ties. Prime Minister Narendra Modi presented seven key pillars aimed at deepening cooperation and addressing shared global challenges.

A central theme of the summit was “capacity building,” with Prime Minister Modi reaffirming India’s commitment to supporting the Caribbean through educational and technical initiatives. As part of this effort, India will expand its ITEC scholarship program by adding 1,000 new slots over the next five years. Modi also announced plans to collaborate with CARICOM countries to develop forensic centres and improve parliamentary training, further solidifying India’s role as a development partner.

Agriculture was highlighted as another critical area of collaboration, with Modi emphasising India’s commitment to helping strengthen agricultural infrastructure and ensure food security in the Caribbean region. Recognising the challenges faced by the global south, particularly during the COVID-19 pandemic and natural disasters, Modi underscored India’s ongoing support to CARICOM countries, including vaccine distribution and capacity-building efforts.

The summit also focused on digital innovation, with Modi showcasing India’s technological advancements. He proposed the adoption of India’s Unified Payments Interface (UPI) across CARICOM countries, building on its successful implementation in countries like the UAE, Singapore, and France. Modi also introduced India’s Digi Locker platform, a cloud-based system for secure document storage, and the Government e-Marketplace (GeM) portal, aimed at enhancing transparency and efficiency in public procurement.

On the cultural front, Modi celebrated the deep-rooted ties between India and the Caribbean, particularly through the shared love of cricket. In a bid to promote gender equality, Modi proposed training eleven young female cricketers from each CARICOM nation in India.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs said the summit “serves as a platform for Belize to expand its relations with.”