(CARICOM Secretariat, Georgetown, Guyana) Secretary-General of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM), His Excellency Edwin Carrington and Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Italy, The Hon. Gianfranco Fini, recently concluded a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) on Cooperation between CARICOM and the Republic of Italy
The MOU was signed on 21 July in Rome, Italy, marking the highlight of the Secretary-General’s two-day visit to Rome. It creates a formal framework within which political, scientific and technical cooperation between the two parties will be conducted, and also sets out several areas for further cooperation between the two sides. These include tourism, agro industry, education, culture, climate change, health and Information and Communication technology for development, energy and environment.
The Italian Deputy Prime Minister and the Secretary-General also exchanged views on the proposed United Nations (UN) reform, including that of the UN Security Council.
During his visit to Rome, Mr Carrington also had productive and wide ranging discussions with other key members of the Italian Government, notably the Ministers of Technological Innovation and the Environment and the Vice Ministers of Foreign Affairs and External Trade.
The CARICOM Secretary-General apprised Italy’s political leaders of the numerous challenges confronting the Caribbean Community, including natural disasters, environmental threats, economic setbacks and social instability. He drew particular attention to the dangers posed by reforms being undertaken by the European Union (EU) with regard to its trade in commodities such as bananas, sugar, rice and rum, all of which are key exports for the Community.
Mr Carrington further informed his hosts of steps already being undertaken by the Region to address these and other issues , especially regional efforts to enhance integration through the creation of a CARICOM Single Market and Economy (CSME).
He thanked Italy on behalf of the Community, for the technical and political support offered to the Region thus far, and urged the Italian Government to continue its assistance.
The Secretary-General also enjoyed a warm meeting with Director General of the Food and Agricultural Organisation (FAO), Jacques Diouf, which focussed on the FAO’s proposal for an up-scaling of the Regional Special Programme for Food Security (CRSPFS). They had a fruitful exchange on the follow-up process to this proposal.
