(CARICOM Secretariat, Turkey, Greater Georgetown, Guyana) Ambassador Irwin LaRocque, Secretary-General of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM), has lauded the dedication and commitment displayed by staff members of the CARICOM Secretariat, the administrative arm of the Community.
“It is no secret that the work of the Secretariat demands every waking hour of all of the staff and I just want to take the opportunity to thank them very much for their continued commitment and devotion to the calling of integration,” the Secretary-General said recently.
While praising the “committed cadre of staff in our Secretariat, as well as throughout the Community,” the Secretary-General cautioned that consideration must be paid to “improving ourselves”, internal business, the processes in the Secretariat, as well as management structures, among other areas.
Secretary-General LaRocque also alluded to the work of regional institutions and pointed out that integration was not just about the Secretariat, but about the role that numerous other institutions played.
“…start thinking about some of the topics that are at the top of our agenda like climate change. It’s not just the work of the Secretariat; it’s the work of several of institutions in our Community including the Climate Change Centre, for instance”, he noted.
Placing focus on the current crop of challenges the Region faced, the Secretary-General said resolution required the Community working together.
““I feel that there is much to be achieved, and if we all work together we can achieve it. Of course, it will require all of us going in the same direction together”, he said.
He added that while the economic situation globally was not the “greatest one and of course, impacts upon us all” the conclusion was that in such challenges “we need each other more, and by working together as a Community we can achieve what we set out to do.”
The Secretary-General made the comments during an end-of-year interview with the Secretariat’s Public Information Unit.
CONTACT: piu@caricom.org; caricompublicinfo@gmail.com
