(CARICOM Secretariat, Turkeyen, Greater Georgetown, Guyana) Her Excellency Faith Radebe, the first Plenipotentiary Representative of South Africa to the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) was accredited on Thursday May 28, 2009, at the headquarters of the CARICOM Secretariat, Georgetown, Guyana.
Describing the accreditation as “historic”, CARICOM Secretary-General, His Excellency Edwin Carrington said that it affirmed the principles of solidarity and fraternity between South Africa and the Community. He added that South-South cooperation – one of the tenets of CARICOM’s foreign policy coordination – had taken a critical step forward through the accreditation of the South African Ambassador. Ambassador Radebe is South Africa’s Ambassador to Jamaica and its Non Resident Representative to all other CARICOM Member States.
The CARICOM Secretary-General stated that the Community had a “keen interest” in the African continent, particularly in South Africa, grounded in the profound historical, cultural, and common interests and concerns, which are shared by Africa and the Region.
He underscored the need for greater trade cooperation between CARICOM and South Africa, noting that although efforts to foster links in trade and investment were not yet materialised, the CARICOM Trade and Investment Mission to South Africa undertaken by Ministers of the Community in January 1998, was a positive step in that direction.
“As we advance our relationship, we must find ways to widen its scope to enhance trade, investment and greater people to people contact. We know that among the limitations to our efforts to date have been inadequate transportation links. We must therefore work to find ways to circumvent or overcome these limitations, by, inter alia, inviting greater private sector and civil society involvement,” the Secretary-General stated.
He expressed the Region’s appreciation for South African’s advocacy on its behalf at the G-20 Summit in April 2009, with regard to the extreme vulnerability of the Caribbean economies in the wake of global financial and economic crisis. Secretary-General Carrington stated that the Region also anticipated South Africa’s support as it articulated its position on the issue of climate change in the various international fora, since the “very survival” of small island developing and low-lying coastal states was at stake.
“Our priorities in respect of Climate Change include the achievement of substantial legally binding reduction in emissions; significant increases in the level of resources available to developing countries to assist their adaptation efforts and for research and development activities; and the need to ensure that vulnerability and not per capita income is the main basis for the determination of access to financial assistance for climate change. Another critical aspect particularly for our Community is avoided deforestation, especially for Guyana, Suriname and Belize,” Secretary-General Carrington said.
Relations between South Africa and CARICOM have also been fostered through their involvement in the Commonwealth; the African Caribbean and Pacific Group of countries (ACP); and through the Community’s links with the African Union.
With regard to the African Union, Secretary-General Carrington noted that the Community was particularly appreciative of South Africa’s leadership in advancing the process towards making the African Diaspora its Sixth Region.
