Statement by Brian A. Nichols, Assistant Secretary of State for Western Hemisphere Affairs — June 30, 2022
How fitting that the United States hosted the Ninth Summit of the Americas in June, when we celebrate Caribbean American Heritage month. My paternal grandfather, Charles Nichols, was born in Saint George, Barbados in 1877. He worked on the Panama Canal with others from the Caribbean — particularly 75,000 Bajans, the largest nationality group to labour on this great engineering project. Through this work, he earned enough money to emigrate to the United States with his wife, Julia King, and their children. As a son of Caribbean heritage myself, I count myself as a member of the Caribbean diaspora that helped build the United States.
During the Summit, President Biden and Vice President Harris co-hosted Caribbean counterparts for an in-depth and substantive meeting that will further strengthen our partnerships with the region. Our Caribbean neighbours spoke of their economic challenges stemming from the COVID-19 pandemic, the impact of climate change, food and energy insecurity, and lack of access to low-cost financing. President Biden and Vice President Harris committed to working with CARICOM and the Dominican Republic to form three high-level committees tasked with developing immediate and concrete joint solutions. The first committee, which Nichols will co-chair for the United States, addresses food security — with approximately 67.5% of the Caribbean population experiencing moderate or severe food insecurity, the United States and CARICOM will launch a Caribbean Zero Hunger Plan and President Biden announced $28 million in new food security assistance to Caribbean countries. The United States also launched the U.S.-Caribbean Partnership to Address the Climate Crisis 2030 (PACC 2030) to facilitate renewable energy infrastructure development and bolster the region’s resilience to climate-based natural disasters. It is of no small consequence that Vice President Harris, a daughter of Caribbean heritage, co-chaired this meeting with the President of the United States.