(CARICOM Secretariat, Turkeyen, Greater Georgetown, Guyana) Newly accredited Bahamas envoy to the Caribbean Community (CARICOM), His Excellency Picewell Forbes has conveyed his Government’s “utmost confidence” in the CARICOM Secretary-General, Ambassador Irwin LaRocque and the staff of the CARICOM Secretariat.
“I wish to reaffirm my Government’s recognition of the role of the Caribbean Community Secretariat in championing the cause of the membership of the Caribbean Community,” he added.
Ambassador Forbes, who presented his Letters of Credence to Ambassador LaRocque on Tuesday, stated that the Government of the Bahamas had utmost respect for the Secretary-General and his Staff and was impressed with the volume and level of work the Secretariat produced.
He also expressed satisfaction that although CARICOM had evolved through a series of challenges, it had much for which it could be justly proud and had remained steadfast “to its goals of unity of purpose and unity of voice in the protection and promotion of the Community’s developmental goals.”
“As a Community, we have been a part of many achievements of functional cooperation to which we can point with pride,” he noted.
However, he felt that implementation of Community decisions both nationally and at the Secretariat level was critical and asserted that attention must be paid to addressing the inadequate governance structures and implementation challenges in some Community agencies.
It was on this premise that he suggested that careful review be given to the findings of the reports of consultants on the operations of the Secretariat and the operations of the security organizations in the Region.
Another issue of overriding significance to The Bahamas, he said, was that of Haiti’s reconstruction and recovery efforts. He too was emphatic that the international donor community needed to honour their pledges to the disaster ravaged Member State.
“We have all done our part in seeking to assist our sister nation to progress quickly towards her developmental and rehabilitative targets. The Community and “Friends of Haiti,” far and near, must continue to implore the international donor community to make good on its pledges to Haiti,” he concluded.
