African diaspora in the Americas Lucia (85%), Grenada (82%), Martinique (80%), Guadeloupe (77%), Saint Vincent and the Grenadines (66%), Bermuda (55%), Brazil (8%), Cuba (35%), Puerto Rico (16%), Belize (31%), Trinidad and Tobago (34.2%), Nicaragua (9%), Panama (14%), United States (13.6%), Colombia (10.52%), Guyana (36%), Suriname (37%), French Guiana (66%), Dominican Republic (10%), Costa Rica (8%), Paraguay (4%), Uruguay (4%), Canada (3.5%) and Venezuela (2.9%). After the United States achieved independence came the independence of Haiti, a country populated almost entirely by people of African descent and the second American colony to win its independence. After the process of independence, many countries have encouraged European
Foreign relations of Suriname World Bank, and the International Monetary Fund. Suriname became a member of the Islamic Development Bank in 1998, under the Wijdenbosch government. In 2003, Suriname joined the Nederlandse Taalunie (Dutch Language union). Bilateral agreements with several countries of the region, covering diverse areas of cooperation, have underscored the government's interest in strengthening regional ties. The return to Suriname from French Guiana of about 8,000 refugees of the 1986–91 civil war between the military and domestic insurgents has improved relations with French authorities. Longstanding border disputes with Guyana and French Guiana remain unresolved. Negotiations with the Government of Guyana brokered by