United Kingdom Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, William Hague, confirmed that the UK will provide £75 million (US$116.5 million) for development projects in the Caribbean over four years. The proposed projects seek to assist with job creation, security, natural disaster response and climate change in the region.

The announcement was made at the 7th annual UK-Caribbean Ministerial Forum in St. George's, Grenada, under the theme, "Sustainable Growth towards Prosperity." The new project grants, according to Minister Hague, shows a significant increase on prior UK aid funding to the region – a commitment Minister Hague hopes will herald a new stage in UK and CARICOM relations.

"We are one of the few nations in the world that is maintaining its international development commitments at a time of financial difficulty. We will stick to our pledge to raise our aid to 0.7 of GNI (gross national income), and you will find us a reliable partner," he told forum participants.

Forum co-chair and St. Kitts and Nevis Foreign Minister, Sam Condor, praised the progress made to reviving the partnership between the two regions. The forum focused on economy strategies, climate change, security and the controversial UK Air Passenger Duty (APD), which Caribbean officials argue is discriminatory against travel to the Caribbean.

Issues surrounding the controversial tax however were not resolved. The Final Action Plan composed at the end of the UK/CARICOM Forum promised "To continue dialogue on issues relating to the APD, in the spirit of cooperation and in the context of the importance of tourism to the economic development of the Caribbean, with a view to assisting the region in mitigating any deleterious effects that the application of the APD may have on its economies."

Minister Condor remained optimistic about adjustments to the APD. "We always have to be hopeful...we do not believe it [APD] is cast in stone," he told reporters.