The collective actions and accomplishments of integration, to date, are proof that the regional integration process is strong and inexorably deepening.
This sentiment was expressed by the Hon. Wilfred Elrington, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Belize and Chairman of the Community Council of Ministers, as he addressed his colleague Ministers at the recently concluded 37th meeting of the Council, in Georgetown, Guyana.
“We continue to work assiduously to improve the standards of living of our people and to provide for them a safe and secure environment to learn, grow, invest, recreate, and indeed to attain their full potential.
“While we are encouraged by our accomplishments, we fully appreciate that we need to build on our successes and to move forward without ever losing sight of why we were elected and the mandates that our peoples entrusted on us,” Mr. Elrington said.
He told his colleagues that their endeavours demanded clear-sightedness and determination given the very daunting challenges which now confronted the world. Those challenges, he added, can only be surmounted by “resolute collective action.”
“Fortunately for our Community, we have a very dedicated and capable Secretariat to aid us in our quest. They have presented us with a road-map to reform our Secretariat, and developed a Community Strategic Plan 2015-2019 to guide our actions in the future.” The Strategic Plan was approved by CARICOM Heads of Government in July 2014.
Mr. Elrington siezed the opportunity to encourage CARICOM Member States who have not already made the Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ) their Final Court, to join, Barbados, Dominica, Belize and Barbados in doing so.
Belize, he said, was “exceedingly pleased with the excellent results” it has had with the CCJ, to date.
