The Stage has been set for the Twenty Third Meeting of the Conference of the Heads of Government of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM), scheduled for Georgetown, Guyana from 3 – 5 July 2002.
High on the agenda is the issue of Crime and Security, a major problem affecting all Member States of the Community. The leaders will receive a report from the Special Regional Task Force established at the Twenty Second Meeting held in the Bahamas in July, 2001, after they agreed to devote special attention to the causes of crime and security threats in the Region.
The Conference, the highest decision-making Organ of the Community is being convened at time of increasing strains and pressures on the Community particularly in the wake of eroding preferential arrangements and preparations for a new round of talks on upcoming international negotiations with the European Union (EU), The Free Trade Area of the Americas (FTAA), and The World Trade Organisation (WTO).
As the Community prepares for the 30th Anniversary since the signing of the Treaty of Chaguaramas, discussions about its observance, will also feature prominently in the three day deliberations. The Regional leaders are also expected to do an Overview of the State of the Community in the context of the CARICOM Single Market and Economy (CSME) and the Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ).
The highlight of the opening ceremony slated for the evening of 3 July 2002, will be the presentation of the Triennial Award for Women to be bestowed upon Trinidadian national, Professor Rhoda Reddock, a foremost contributor to women's development in the Region. Professor Reddock is the seventh recipient of this prestigious award, which recognizes the contribution of women to the Region.
The Conference of Heads of Government will be preceded by the Forward Together Encounter with Civil Society from 2 -3 July, 2002. The historic occasion hopes to bring together representatives from the private sector, labour movements, non-governmental organisations and other non- state actors to meet head on with the leaders to discuss the way forward for the Community.
His Excellency Bharrat Jagdeo, President of the Cooperative Republic of Guyana, will assume chairmanship of CARICOM until December 2002, succeeding the Hon. Said Musa, Prime Minister of Belize. The Rt. Hon. Perry Christie, Prime Minister of The Bahamas will attend his first meeting of the Conference as Prime Minister.
