State Secretary Alexandra van Huffelen of Kingdom Relations and Digitalisation will attend the high-level meeting of the Forum for Overseas Countries and Territories (Landen en Gebieden oversee, LGO) in Brussels on Thursday the 29th of February.
The OCT Forum is held annually and this year will be from the 26th to the 29th of February. Participants are countries and overseas territories (LGO) linked to one of the Member States of the European Union, representatives of those EU Member States, and members of the European Parliament. The six islands in the Caribbean part of the Kingdom all have LGO status. They are therefore present in Brussels with their own delegations, as is the EU special envoy for Bonaire, Saba, and St. Eustatius. Besides the Netherlands, Member States France and Denmark will also be present with their LGO. A total of 13 countries (islands) have LGO status.
The aim of the Forum is to bring together all countries and territories concerned. The importance of further cooperation between the overseas territories and the EU is central. It is about promoting initiatives that benefit all partners. Initiatives should contribute to sustainable development especially of the small island states.
State Secretary Van Huffelen will deliver a speech at the high-level meeting. In it, she will address the strategic importance of the LGO for the EU, the importance of working together and of making EU funds more accessible to the Caribbean islands. She will call attention to issues that are important for the Caribbean parts of the Kingdom. These include food security, connectivity through water, air, and digitally, as well as climate change and energy transition.