Secretary-General Ambassador Irwin LaRocque speaks on Reform Process
(CARICOM Secretariat, Turkeyen, Greater Georgetown, Guyana) Positive energy infused fruitful discussions, this week, among key implementation partners of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) Five-Year Strategic Plan 2015-2019, heralding a productive start to 2015.
These sentiments were expressed by CARICOM Secretary-General, Ambassador Irwin LaRocque, when he addressed the opening ceremony of the 35th Meeting of the Community Council of Ministers of CARICOM. The meeting commenced on Friday morning at the Georgetown, Guyana Headquarters of the CARICOM Secretariat.
The Secretary-General told the Council that following the CARICOM Heads of Government approval of Strategic Plan last July, work has begun to implement the Plan. He stated that critical steps are being taken to establish the governance and operational structures among all the implementing partners of the Strategic Plan which is a critical element in the Reform of the Community.
Preceding the meeting of the Council on Friday, two significant engagements were held on Tuesday and Wednesday among the Member States, the Regional Institutions and the Secretariat, and between CARICOM Ambassadors and Change Drivers to consider the draft Implementation Plan.
The Secretary-General said he was encouraged by the positivity which has been a factor throughout those discussions, adding that it was a spirit important at any time, but more significantly this year being the first of the Strategic Plan.
Those inputs have served to elaborate the relationship between the national and regional agendas, Ambassador LaRocque said, noting that CARICOM Member States, Institutions, and the Committee of CARICOM Ambassadors have all contributed significantly to various elements of implementation plan.
“There was a full appreciation that each of us had a role to play in the successful implementation of the Plan. The enthusiasm and commitment displayed by all parties involved is testimony to the strong belief in the Strategic Plan’s potential to assist the Member States in meeting and defeating their current challenges,” he stated.
He noted that the collaboration which materialized from the meetings was envisaged in the Strategic Plan and it was fueling a new mode of operation in Community geared towards ensuring cohesion and working towards achieving common goals. It was a sign of the readiness of the parties to begin their work on fulfilling the objectives of the Strategic Plan to the benefit of the people of the Community, he added.
Excerpt of Secretary-General's remarks to Community Council of Ministers Meeting from Caribbean Community on Vimeo.
The Council is now considering the revised Implementation Plan which benefitted from the “rich engagement” among the implementing partners, Secretary-General LaRocque said.
“2015 can therefore be a watershed year in the history of our Community. The effectiveness of acting together has proven itself time and again. Let us continue to use that strength in our on-going quest to provide a better life for the people of our Caribbean Community,” he encouraged the meeting.
See also below: Community Insitutions start to lay groundwork for Implementation of the Community Strategic Plan
