(CARICOM Secretariat, Turkeyen, Greater Georgetown, Guyana) It is an honour and pleasure, to address you on behalf of the countries of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) participating in Yeosu Expo 2012 here in the Republic of Korea. It is gratifying that I am doing so on this special occasion of CARICOM National Day.
The friendly relations between the Caribbean Community and the Republic of Korea can only be enhanced by our Member States’ involvement in this event and the warmth and generosity of the people of the Republic of Korea being experienced at the Expo site and beyond.
I must express my admiration for the beautifully designed architecture of the Expo site. It is certainly a most enchanting environment to host an event of this kind. The organisers must be congratulated for such a grand staging and Mr Commissioner I congratulate you. It is no surprise therefore, that more than 100 countries and International Organisations from around the world are participating in this event.
The success of this Expo is testimony to the stature of the Republic of Korea in the International Community. Despite its relatively small size, this country has demonstrated that with creativity, imagination, harnessing of its human potential and hard work, great strides can be made in development. The example of the Republic of Korea of economic success buttressed by democracy, peace and stability is one that small states like ours in the Caribbean Community are trying to emulate.
It must also be noted that the Republic of Korea has been a partner to the Caribbean Community in our development efforts. Since 2002, CARICOM has benefitted from assistance in the area of governance by way of support for election observation missions, strengthening of civil society and the implementation of e-government projects.
Our co-operation was put on a firmer footing in May 2006 with the signing of a Technical Cooperation Agreement. That Agreement established the CARICOM-Korea Cooperation and Consultation Mechanism, which provides the framework for CARICOM-Korea cooperation.
A further step was taken in October 2011 to deepen collaboration with the hosting of the first Caribbean-Korea High-Level Forum in Seoul. The Forum was held under the themes, Development Strategy and International Cooperation with the Caribbean, and Korea-Caribbean Cooperation for Green Growth and was so successful that CARICOM Member States expressed their interest in making it a regular and institutionalised event in pursuit of continuous development of Korea-Caribbean ties.
Our Community attaches much importance to these ties and our Member States have made a special effort to participate in this event. They have also been attracted by the theme of the Expo “The Living Ocean and Coast,” and its three sub-themes: Coastal Development and Preservation, New Resources Technology, and Creative Maritime Activities. All resonate with our Community comprising as it does Small Island and Low-lying Coastal States and Territories.
The social and economic life of most of our countries is tied to the seas and coastal plains and this exposition and its related events offer an opportunity both to showcase the beauty and diversity of our Member States as well as for the participants to garner new ideas for developing and utilising their endowments.
Expo Yeosu is unique in the opportunity that it offers to share knowledge on the proper use of the ocean and coast as well as to learn about state-of-the-art Marine Science and Technology and Marine Industries. The information gained from the encounters here and the possibility of acquiring available technology could contribute to addressing some of the marine related problems in our Region.
This Expo is also timely as it serves to highlight the threats faced by countries like ours from the phenomena of climate change, sea-level rise and the devastating effects of natural and man-made disasters to the coastal environment. It is my hope that the organiser’s intention of promoting a new level of international cooperation via the Yeosu Project as well as the proposed Yeosu Declaration to chart a post-Kyoto vision, will be fulfilled as we seek to strengthen our countries’ capacities to deal with the effects of climate change.
We look forward to the Yeosu Project becoming an important legacy of Expo 2012, by helping our countries craft forward-looking and environment-friendly policies to preserve and make judicious use of our marine resources. This is particularly important in support of the preservation and protection of our marine ecological system which was identified as a key objective in the Caribbean Community’s Declaration on Climate Change and Development issued by CARICOM Heads of Government in July 2009, in Georgetown, Guyana.
Therefore, the Yeosu project that would see collaboration between the Republic of Korea and developing countries in education and training programs, research and development and sharing of expertise is one that CARICOM welcomes and supports.
The Caribbean Community looks forward to welcoming you first of all to the reception this evening so that you can get a flavour of what the Caribbean has to offer and then having got that sample, to welcoming you to the Region to savour the Caribbean experience to its fullest.
I thank you.
