(CARICOM Secretariat, Turkeyen, Greater Georgetown, Guyana) The Government of Chile on Wednesday conferred the `Order of Bernardo O’Higgins – Grand Cross’ on Ambassador Colin Granderson, Assistant Secretary-General, Foreign and Community Relations, Caribbean Community (CARICOM), in recognition of his role in coordinating and representing the interests of CARICOM and those shared by Latin America.
The presentation of the award by H.E Luis Fernando Ayala, Ambassador of Chile to CARICOM, was accompanied by accolades such as a “great diplomat and an excellent friend of Chile.” The Chilean envoy, who had just been accredited during a ceremony at the CARICOM Secretariat in Georgetown, said that his government had recognised Ambassador Granderson’s commitment and contribution to integration between Chile and the Caribbean Region.
Mr Ayala described Ambassador Granderson as a “dedicated internationalist and an expert on Latin America and the Caribbean,” which he said was illustrated during the Second Meeting of the CARICOM-Chile Joint Committee in January 2012, the Summit of the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC), and the CELAC-European Unit Summit, held in January 2013.
Ambassador Granderson’s expert handling of issues in those fora played a major role in coordinating and representing the interests and issues vital to CARICOM and Latin American, including Chile, Mr. Ayala stated.
“On the technical assistance front, Ambassador Granderson has been instrumental in the successful negotiation of a cooperation agreement that is the umbrella under which a number of bilateral work plans have been developed between Chile and individual CARICOM governments.”
“On a more personal note, Ambassador Granderson is a person with many human qualities, with strong conviction that democracy and human rights are key elements to build a just and inclusive society. He has been a big friend of Chile, always open to listening to our proposals and ready to suggest ways to increase CARICOM-Chile ties. He has a reflective and prudent personality, firm when it comes to defending CARICOM’s goals and interests,” Mr. Ayala said before conferring the award upon Ambassador Granderson.
In accepting the award, Ambassador Granderson said he was “both honoured and humbled by this unexpected award for carrying out my responsibilities, in a word for doing my job.”
He attributed the accomplishment to members of staff of the Directorate of Foreign and Community Relations and the Resource Mobilisation and Technical Assistance Unit, stating that “what was achieved in the advancement of CARICOM-Chile relations was the result of team work within the Secretariat carried out under the guidance of the Secretary-General.”
“Ambassador, the revitalisation of the diplomatic relationship between CARICOM and Chile is due to the happy confluence of policy decisions on both sides. On our side, the Community wished to strengthen its relations with Latin America in response to the systemic changes taking place at the global and hemispheric level. In implementing this policy posture, emphasis was placed on Latin American countries such as Chile with which the Community had had longstanding friendly relations. This coincided with the decision of the Government of Chile under President Sebastian Piñera to reinvigorate its relationship with CARICOM. In this regard, I would like to single out the critical roles played on your side by your predecessor, Ambassador Pradel, and by the Director General of the Chilean Foreign Ministry, Ambassador Silva,” Ambassador Granderson stated.
