I have the signal honour and distinct pleasure to welcome you most warmly, to our part of the Caribbean Community; to our beautiful Twin Island State of St. Kitts and Nevis. We are indeed happy that you have found is possible to attend this, the 14th Meeting of CARICOM Council of Foreign and Community Relations ( COFCOR).
This Meeting comes at a time when as a Community we are being challenged to respond to a rapidly changing International Environment. One in which we must remain alert and responsive as we confront shifting priorities of our traditional partners.
In various parts of the International Community war and other unsettling developments have raised their ugly heads; and the ensuing threat to stability, peace and security, stands to impact significantly upon our way of life in the Caribbean Region.
A number of our Member States in the Sub-region have suffered the ravages of devastating natural disasters; and in the wider region, our sister island of Haiti, experienced two catastrophic natural disasters with crippling effect on every sector of the economy.
Surely, we must now move decisively to secure the International Assistance pledged, so that our brothers and sisters in Haiti, could recover and resume the path to sustainable development.
We have the opportunity over the next two days, to resolve to strengthen ties between Member States, so that, unified in our endeavour, we could navigate these stormy waters. For if the survival and growth of our CARICOM Community are to be realised, we must find solid ground on which to continue to build.
Indeed, the Haitian situation compels us to be at the forefront of assistance for each other; in every circumstance. We must be the first line of defence and the first line of action; and we must endeavour to maintain this ideal. At the end of the day, as a Community we must be able to leverage the desired improvements in social and economic conditions.
Colleague Ministers, our role as Foreign Ministers of the Member States of the Caribbean Community in these challenging times, remains critical. We have the extremely important responsibility, to ensure that the interests of CARICOM are enduring; whatever the developments that may occur in the International Community.
And so while these are indeed most challenging times, we have as a people, learnt the art of overcoming. We have overcome much and will continue to do so.
I expect that as a testimony to this fact, we will hear of developments regarding the Permanent Memorial on Slavery and the Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade, during our deliberations. I reiterate that we have this background to use as a reminder of our ability to triumph over adversity; and as a symbol of how far we have come. The people of CARICOM were not able only, to overcome the scourge of slavery, but we were able to unite under a common history and culture and to chart a course that can only undergird us, as we go forward.
As the Council, vested with the responsibility of determining Inter- State Relations within our own Region, with Third States, as well as with International Organizations, we must constantly be devising mechanisms that will assist us in using the opportunities that are presented; and to transcend the challenges that often beset us, to promote, expand, improve and accelerate our Developmental Agenda .
We will be having extensive discussions on a number of pressing matters; not least among them, are those issues that affect us here in our own region. The International Security concerns are Regional Security concerns; and we do have the opportunity to adopt, adapt and to strategize on best practices suited for every Member State. What we do know is that none of our individual concerns operate in a vacuum, that they affect us all; and that a coordinated approach is the only way we will defeat the Security challenges that we face.
I believe with all my heart that we must dare to impose paradigm shifts, on both the methodology and the outcome sought, if we are to ensure that future generations do not decry this current generation for myopia. In this regard, a request was put forward by St. Kitts – Nevis at the June 2010 UN Meeting, that a High Level Conference on Inter-Personal Violence and Citizen Security be held prior to the next OAS General Assembly. You would recall that immediately following, during a press conference in Barbados, Her Excellency Hillary Rodham
