Prime Minister of Antigua and Barbuda and Chairman of the Caribbean Community CARICOM, the Hon. W. Baldwin Spencer arrived in London, England on Sunday for the Sixth UK-Caribbean Forum which opens here on Monday and runs until July 16.

Prime Minister Spencer and UK Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs the Hon. David Miliband will both chair the two summit.

Prime Minister Spencer said that the Caribbean views the Summit as vitally important as it gives the region the opportunity to convey its foreign policies and strengthen the relations with the United Kingdom in an effort to address a number of challenges.

"It is through the conduit of such fora as the UK-Caribbean Forum that the message of small states like the Caribbean reach the inner sanctum of even larger and more influential decision-making bodies as the EU or G8," said Prime Minister Spencer

In their dialogue with their UK counterparts, CARICOM Foreign Ministers will have the opportunity to address such issues as security- including the immigration policies that affect the Caribbean diaspora - progress regarding implementation of the millennium development goals (MDGs), education and training, the CARIFORUM-EC Economic Partnership Agreement, the issues relative to climate change, energy and food security.

Ministers will also be able to have frank discussions with the UK Foreign Secretary on political issues of critical interest and concern to the CARICOM Region, in particular the graduation of Middle Income Countries in UNICEF, Reform of International Financial Institutions and the withdrawal of UK ODA from some CARICOM countries.

During the Forum, Guyana and Saint Lucia's Foreign Ministers will lead on Sustainable Development; Trinidad and Tobago on Security Issues including Immigration; Belize and Jamaica on Economic Development and Saint Kitts and Nevis on Education.

Ministers will also be offered the opportunity to engage with UK Parliamentarians on these issues at the UK Caribbean Parliamentary Forum scheduled for Tuesday 15 July, 2008, at the UK Houses of Parliament. This forum hosted by Lord Foulkes of Cumnock, who is also President of the Caribbean Britain Business Council, will also be co-chaired by CARICOM Chairman the Hon. W. Baldwin Spencer.

The five previous UK Caribbean Fora were held alternately in the Caribbean and the UK in 1998, 2000, 2002, 2004 and 2006 respectively.