(CARICOM Secretariat, Turkeyen, Greater Georgetown, Guyana) CARICOM Heads of Government at their 23rd Inter-Sessional meeting, which ended in Suriname on Friday agreed to “move immediately” to implement major recommendations that would see the restructuring of the Community’s administrative body – the CARICOM Secretariat.
To this end the Conference has directed the CARICOM Secretary-General, Ambassador Irwin LaRocque to begin the search for a change facilitator who would help him navigate the change process. The recruitment of a change facilitator was one of the recommendations contained in the Landell Mills Report, submitted to Heads of Government by the British-based international consultancy firm Landell Mills Ltd., which was commissioned by CARICOM to conduct a comprehensive review of its administrative body.
Chairman of the Conference, Suriname’s President Desi Delano Bouterse told Journalists at the closing press conference of the two-day meeting that Heads of Government had accepted in general, some recommendations of the Report, but would seek clarification on others.
He said the Conference had directed the Secretary-General to move immediately to recruit a change facilitator who would help him to steer the implementation process and strengthen the corporate functions of the Secretariat in the first instance.
President Bouterse explained that in a parallel exercise, Heads of Government would work with an internal group from the Secretariat to facilitate improving regional governance and implementation. This process would involve an outline of a five-year strategic plan in time for consideration by Heads of Government at the Thirty-Third Meeting of the Conference in July.
“All in all it was a most productive and fruitful Inter-sessional meeting and as Chairman I am looking forward to moving urgently with the Secretary-General to see the initiatives through,” the CARICOM Chairman told journalists.
Prime Minister of Saint Lucia, Dr the Honourable Kenny Anthony gave support to the President’s statement and explained that there would also be changes made to the Conference regarding its agenda, structure and approach to meetings.
He agreed that the 23rd Inter-sessional was a purposeful meeting and that every member of the Conference present understood quite clearly that the people wanted change now. It was not a question of postponing or feet-dragging. It was vital that change process commenced immediately, he said.
