(CARICOM Secretariat, Turkeyen, Greater Georgetown, Guyana) The Caribbean Community (CARICOM) formally accepted video-conferencing equipment from the Government of Japan today at a ceremony at the headquarters of the Community in Georgetown Guyana. Deputy Secretary-General Ambassador Lolita Applewhaite accepted the equipment on behalf of CARICOM, from Japan’s Plenipotentiary Representative to the Caribbean Community, Ambassador Koichiro Seki.
Under a project, funded by the Government of Japan to the tune of US$303,370, video conferencing equipment has been installed in 10 CARICOM Member States. In addition to supplying hardware, the funding from the Government of Japan also ensured that officials at the video conferencing sites were trained to undertake the required technical support. The headquarters of the CARICOM Secretariat functions mainly as the hub of the operation.
The videoconferencing project forms part of the strengthening process for the governance processes among CARICOM Member States. With the CARICOM Secretariat as the executing agency, the project started with the installation of the equipment at the Secretariat in June 2006 and concluded in January 2007
The video conferencing equipment is already being utilised by the Community and contributes to facilitating regular communication between and among CARICOM Member States, the CARICOM Secretariat in Guyana and the CARICOM Single Market and Economy Unit in Barbados. A number of briefings of the regional media have been held using this facility; a practice expected to contribute to greater public awareness of, and participation in, the work of CARICOM
