Madame Chairman,
Minister of Foreign Trade and International Cooperation of the Republic of Guyana, Honourable Clement Rohee
Honourable Ministers of Government,
Excellency, Ambassador Ney Du Prado Deiquez of Brazil,
Members of the Diplomatic Corps,
Ambassador Donald Abrams, Director of International Cooperation of in the Ministry of Foreign Trade and International Cooperation of the Republic of Guyana,
Distinguished Participants,
Members of the Media:
Good morning and welcome to the opening ceremony of this important and timely Workshop on the Conception and Elaboration of Technical Cooperation Projects.
First of all, I wish to express the appreciation of the Caribbean Community Secretariat to the Government of Brazil for proposing to mount this workshop and to the Government of Guyana, for its co-sponsorship with the CARICOM Secretariat. This invaluable opportunity made available to participants from CARICOM Member States, will undoubtedly assist in promoting greater technical cooperation between Brazil and our Member States and will expand the Region’s capacity to successfully access technical assistance not only from Brazil but, ultimately, from other sources as well. The Secretariat is therefore extremely pleased to be associated in this way.
The presence here of so many participants representing our Member States is testimony to the emphasis which our Community places on the development of the Region’s most critical asset – our human resources.
It is also a recognition that as Member States seek technical support from friendly countries and institutions, the Region’s capacity to develop projects for timely submission in areas of critical need is paramount. Projects are used by Member States to spearhead the process of social and economic development. Projects are critical components of development plans – they actually help to translate plans into action. A proper understanding of project development, implementation and management is therefore very important,
It is hoped and expected that the Workshop, although relatively short, will help to build or strengthen participants’ project planning and management skills. The reputation of the Brazilian Agency for Cooperation, known for its high standards and thorough, comprehensive presentations, has preceded it and so it is with great anticipation I am sure, that the Member States’ representatives will participate in this Workshop. It promises to cover a wide spectrum of topics critical to the successful conception and elaboration of technical cooperation projects.
Madame Chairman, this Workshop, apart from helping to build project planning capacity, can be recorded as another tangible demonstration of South-South cooperation. Over the years and certainly moreso within the last decade, CARICOM and Brazil have collaborated in regional, hemispheric and international fora on issues ranging from mutual concerns about the Environment at the Rio Summit to preparations for the European Union/Latin America and the Caribbean Summits.
CARICOM and Brazil participate in negotiations for a Free Trade Area of the Americas which is scheduled for 2005. Indeed, in recognition of the different levels of development of countries in these hemispheric negotiations, the support of Brazil and other larger countries for the concerns of small states would be of tremendous benefit to CARICOM Member States.
Cooperation in the field of higher education is also progressing with a partnership arrangement between the Federal University of Bahia and the University of the West Indies, in addition to a programme of scholarships for Caribbean students established at the University of Sao Paulo. In the area of sports, and through a technical cooperation programme, at least two Member States, Jamaica and Trinidad and Tobago have thus far benefited from the sharing of technical expertise in football.
At the CARICOM Secretariat, we have specifically benefited from Brazilian assistance in the development of a policy framework for technical assistance and vocational education in the Region. Discussions have also been held on small business development and on CARICOM’s sharing of its experience in tourism development including eco-tourism. Support for productivity in the agricultural sector and the development of agri-business ventures within CARICOM will receive an added boost as a result of the upcoming Study Tour to Brazil in which CARICOM Ministers of Agriculture have shown great interest. Such an opportunity will also be used to gain an insight into Brazil’s experiences in the areas of meteorology and fish-farming techniques.
Madame Chairman, Ladies and gentlemen, the possibilities are infinite. We in the Community deeply believe that we are stronger when we are united. In the face of considerable economic, commercial, social and cultural challenges fashioned by an internationally liberalised and globalized environment, CARICOM Member States and other developing countries must build on each others’ strengths to equip ourselves with the relevant and necessary tools to be active and meaningful participants in the regional, hemispheric and international arenas. This Workshop is a sound building block in the process of achieving this goal.
CARICOM looks forward to continuing to deepen its warm relations with Brazil and to explore other avenues for concrete initiatives, not only to share our expertise and collaborate in external fora but also to bring our citizens to a fuller appreciation of the wealth of the social and cultural fabric of each other’s societies.
In that spirit, I trust that in the week ahead, the desired objectives of the Workshop will be achieved, in a spirit of mutual cooperation.
I thank you.
