(CARICOM Secretariat, Turkeyen, Greater Georgetown, Guyana) Members of Community Council of Ministers of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) must ensure that they act and make their voices heard on their stance on the critical issues regarding the future of the Community, Secretary-General His Excellency Edwin Carrington said Monday.
In opening remarks at the Twenty-Third Meeting of the Council at the CARICOM Secretariat in Georgetown, Guyana, the Secretary-General alluded to the global financial and economic crisis, and developments within the Community, particularly as they related to the establishment of the CARICOM Single Market and Economy (CSME).
Underscoring the role and responsibility of the Council as a ‘strategic hub of the Community’, Secretary-General Carrington said that with Member States and the Secretariat, the Council shared the responsibility of helping to dispel much of the doom and gloom regarding the future of the Community.
“For some, the glass is never half full but only half empty; for others, to search for unity is itself a sign of disunity; and for others, differences of position among Member States are seen as cause for alarm. But as I have said before, the process of integration is not for the faint of heart.”
“Thankfully Mr. Chairman I discern none such among you. It is crucial therefore, not only that you act, but that your voices be heard as well as to where you stand on the various issues critical to the future of our Community,” Mr. Carrington said.
Incoming Chairman of the Council, the Hon. Wilfred Elrington, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade, and Attorney-General of Belize, in brief remarks at the opening, noted that the success and development of Member States were interwoven with the integration movement. In spite of the complexities of development, the region must remain committed, and there must be engagement of stakeholders at every level, the Minister said.
Final preparations for Twentieth Inter-Sessional Meeting of the Conference of Heads of Government of the Caribbean Community will be in focus at the one-day Meeting, as well as consideration of the Secretariat’s Strategic Plan for 2009-2013, as the Council seeks to rationalise the priorities of the principal administrative organ of the Community for the next three years.
In addition, the Council will examine a proposed strategic approach to the Community’s relations with the United States.
During the opening ceremony, the Council observed a minute’s silence for Jamaican Dr. Lucille Mathurin Mair, the fifth recipient of the CARICOM Triennial Award for Women, and Mr. Ryan Peralto, late Senator and Member of Parliament of Jamaica, both of whom died recently.
The Community Council replaced the Common Market Council as the second highest Organ in CARICOM. It has primary responsibility for the development of Community strategic planning and co-ordination in the areas of economic integration, functional co-operation and external relations. The Council consists of Ministers responsible for Community Affairs and any other Minister designated by CARICOM Member States.
