(CARICOM Secretariat, Turkeyen, Greater Georgetown, Guyana) It is my privilege and honour to address you this morning at the Opening of this historic Twenty-Fourth Inter-Sessional Meeting of the Conference of Heads of Government of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM).
This is certainly one occasion that the use of the word historic is most fitting. Ten and a half years after its formal accession as a Member State of CARICOM, for the first time a President of Haiti is Chairman of CARICOM. Also for the first time, Haiti is hosting a Meeting of the Heads of Government. There can be no greater indicator, symbolic and substantive, that Haiti has taken its rightful place within the Caribbean Community. I am certain that this is a unanimous sentiment.
Let me at the outset express my heartfelt thanks, to the Government and People of Haiti, for the excellent arrangements in place for this Meeting and the generous hospitality which we all have enjoyed. Merci anpil a gouvenman e pep Aysien (Thank you Government and people of Haiti).
That this country has been able to rise above its monumental challenges of the recent past and take over leadership of our Caribbean Community is testimony to the strength and resilience of its people. These are attributes which have earned you, the Haitian people, the admiration of all the Caribbean and should serve as an inspiration to your brothers and sisters in the Region as we all confront the tough social and economic challenges of this time.
Your membership in CARICOM, and soon your participation in the Single Market, present opportunities for improving the lives of the people of Haiti through co-operation in areas such as health and education, and economic benefits to be derived from commerce and trade. Some of these benefits have already begun to be realised; for example, with the work of the Pan Caribbean Partnership against HIV and AIDS (PANCAP) and soon with collaboration among the universities of the Region, as well as the one way duty free access to the other Member States of CARICOM for some of your products.
There is an added significance to Haiti’s assumption of the leadership of our Community. This year we celebrate our 40th Anniversary and what better way to begin that commemoration than having our most recent Member leading the way. For, even as we look back with justifiable pride in our achievements over the last 40 years, we must embrace the promise of our future through accepting new ideas and seeking new perspectives. The achievement of the past is no guarantee of success in the future.
The circumstances which fashioned our approach to integration have changed, the nature of the challenges which we face has changed, our society has changed. Therefore, so must we. As we go forward to the next 40 years, in accepting that the imperative for integration of our small states is undeniable, we also have to accept that we must change our modes of operation if we are to deliver to our people the standard of living they desire.
At the Secretariat, that process of change has already begun since the beginning of the New Year. In furtherance of the mandate from Heads of Government, a change facilitation team has been working at Headquarters to advise me in the process which I lead. A review has been conducted of the CARICOM Security institutions and this programme of reviews for reform will continue with other institutions and organisations involved in the integration arrangements.
But we are all aware that for integration to make the impact on the ground among our people, change must be pervasive and embrace all facets of the work of the Community.
This transformation that we are seeking is taking place at one of the most difficult times in the economic and social life of the Region. Since the financial and economic contagion of 2008, growth in this Region has been strangled. Most of our Member States contend on a daily basis with a fiscal situation that threatens to overwhelm them. The excruciating debt burden is exacerbated by the policies of the International Financial Institutions which disqualify many of our Member States from concessionary financing because of criteria inappropriate to our circumstances. Those criteria are also being considered by other International Development Partners and, if adopted, could render our development efforts even more challenging.
Those financial and economic burdens are intensified by the growing levels of crime in our Community, in particular the rise in gun-related violence. The threat posed to the stability of our Region by the prevalence of firearms cannot be underestimated and the on-going wanton waste of human life is a continuing source of grief.
The effort to combat this menace to our society will occupy the attention of this Meeting as the major item on the Agenda. A part of that discussion will be an exchange of views with Mr. Eric Holder, the Attorney-General of the United States, a country which has been a major partner in the area of crime and security.
Before I end, I must extend a hearty welcome back to the Rt. Honourable Perry Christie, the Prime Minister of The Bahamas who returns to this Forum with renewed vigour to bolster the integration movement. I also extend a welcome to the Premier of the Turks and Caicos Islands, the Honourable Rufus Ewing who is attending his first meeting of the Conference. I am confident that this Meeting, the Conference of Heads of Government, and the Community, as a whole, will benefit from the fresh insights that you both will bring.
Your Excellency, Heads of Government, delegates, Ladies and Gentlemen, these may be trying times, and in the past 40 years we have had our share of trials and tribulations. But we have persevered. We have stayed the course. Now we must stave off the existing challenges by strengthening our commitment to integration as the only way for us all to survive and prosper. Let the strength and resilience of the Haitian people be a guide and inspiration as we go forward in the next 40 years. Ayiti, fos ak kouraj ou ap inspire nou (Haiti your strength and resilience will inspire us).
