(CARICOM Secretariat, Turkeyen, Greater Georgetown, Guyana) The largest ever contingent of Caribbean Community (CARICOM) leaders to gather in Washington DC, USA began their series of meetings on Monday 18 June when the Foreign Ministers of CARICOM met with the United States Secretary of State at the State Department.
Thirteen of the Community’s Heads of Government and the Secretary-General of CARICOM have gone to Washington to participate in the “Conference on the Caribbean: A 20/20 Vision” which ends on Thursday 21 June. The Prime Minister of Saint Lucia and the President of Suriname will not be attending but will be represented. During the Conference, the Heads of Government of CARICOM will meet with United States President George Bush on Wednesday, 20 June, 2007. CARICOM Heads of Government and their Foreign Ministers also will meet with members of both Houses of Congress and members of Cabinet, as well as participate in fora involving the private sector, international organisations and the Caribbean diaspora.
The formal Opening Session under the theme ‘CARICOM Development in the 21st Century’. will take place on Tuesday 19 June at the Preston Auditorium at the World Bank with the Prime Minister of Barbados the Rt. Honourable Owen Arthur, who also has the lead portfolio for the CARICOM Single Market and Economy (CSME), and US Commerce Secretary the Hon Carlos Gutierrez delivering the keynote addresses.
The Chairman of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM), Dr the Hon Ralph Gonsalves, Prime Minister of St Vincent and the Grenadines will also address the Session along with, the Secretary-General of the Organisation of American States (OAS), His Excellency Jose Miguel Insulza, the President of the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), His Excellency Luis Moreno and the Deputy Managing Director of the World Bank, Mr Graeme Wheeler. The Secretary-General of CARICOM His Excellency Edwin Carrington will welcome participants to the Conference.
The opening plenary will be followed by the Joint Private Sector-Experts Session under the theme ‘International Competitiveness of Caribbean Countries’.
Other events on the packed first day include the Diaspora Forum at the OAS Hall of the Americas under the themes ‘The Caribbean Disapora in Perspective’ and ‘Challenges and Opportunities for Caribbean/US Diaspora’ and the opening of the official Art Exhibition at the OAS Hall of Heroes by President of Haiti, His Excellency Rene Preval.
On Day Two, three fora will be held concurrently: the Experts Forum at the World Bank, the Private Sector Dialogue at the IDB and the Diaspora Forum at the OAS. The Experts Forum will comprise sequential sessions under the themes of ‘Education’, ‘Health & Gender’, ‘Security and Competitiveness in a Global Environment’ and ‘Physical Infrastructure for CARICOM’s Growth and Global Competitiveness’. At the Private Sector Dialogue, the theme for the discussions is ‘US-Caribbean Trade: Opportunities for Growth’. The Diaspora Forum will examine topics such as ‘Economic and financial empowerment of Caribbean-US Diaspora’, ‘Mobilising Caribbean-US Diaspora Skills Knowledge and Professional Networks’, and ‘Banking on the Future: Engaging the Youth’. Participants will have the opportunity to engage Heads of Government at that forum.
On the morning of the final day of the Conference, there will be a joint Wrap-up Session at the OAS, Hall of the Americas under the theme ‘CARICOM Development in the 21st Century: The Way Forward.’ The official closing ceremony will be held at the same venue.
