CARICOM welcomes new Chilean Ambassador

(CARICOM Secretariat, Turkeyen, Greater Georgetown, Guyana) – The Caribbean Community (CARICOM) has welcomed a new Ambassador of Chile, His Excellency Bernardo José del Picó Rubio with Secretary-General Dr. Carla Barnett calling on the country to amplify the Community’s concerns for fair contributions from the developed world to address climate change and to restructure the international financial architecture.

Delivering remarks at the accreditation ceremony at the headquarters of the CARICOM Secretariat, Dr. Barnett described the “looming shadow of climate change” as the “single greatest obstacle to our Region’s sustainable development.”

Dr. Barnett said that CARICOM, like other Small Island Developing States (SIDS) bear little responsibility for this crisis, yet, they are on the frontlines, facing its harshest consequences.

“Even as we build our resilience, we continue to urge the international community to take decisive action to limit global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius. In this fight, we engage in continued advocacy in multilateral forums and deeply value the support of partners like Chile, a nation renowned for its commitment to climate action,” Dr. Barnett told the new envoy.

She lauded the CARICOM-Chile relationship, noting that they have enjoyed fruitful collaboration in areas including human resource capacity building, agriculture, health and nutrition, and international negotiations with diplomatic training, since the conclusion of the Agreement on Scientific and Technical Cooperation in 1996.

The Secretary-General also indicated that the CARICOM Secretariat will be working with the new ambassador to convene a meeting of the CARICOM-Chile Joint Commission, the main implementing mechanism for the Agreement.

In his remarks Ambassador Pico Rubio noted his intention to strengthen and expand the already good relations between CARICOM and Chile.

“Madam Secretary General, I would like to thank you for this ceremony, through which we reaffirm the long-standing friendship between CARICOM and Chile. Although geographically distant, my country and the Caribbean Community share the same democratic values, respect for human rights and the rule of law, all values that inspire and guide us,” the new Chilean envoy stated.