(CARICOM Secretariat, Turkeyen, Greater Georgetown): Renowned Guyanese cricketer Sir Clive Lloyd, and Jamaican regionalist and former CARICOM Secretary-General, Roderick Rainford, have been conferred with the Order of the Caribbean Community (OCC), the Region’s highest honour.
The ceremony took place at Charter Hall, St George’s University during a culturally rich opening ceremony for the 47th Regular Meeting of the Conference of CARICOM Heads of Government in Grenada, on Sunday, 28 July 2024.
Sir Clive, who was present to receive the award, stated that he was grateful to be honoured by the Community. “I am humbled to be in your midst and to have been considered worthy of the honour of the Order of the Caribbean Community,” stated the legendary cricketer. “I am grateful for this recognition of my services to this Region. It is reassuring to know that the unity of the Region, which I sought to instill on the cricket field, is considered to be on the same level as that which you have pursued in the Councils and Boardrooms of this integration movement.”
Dr Nesha Z. Haniff Rainford, wife of Roderick Rainford, received the award on behalf of her husband. She traced his journey from childhood, as the last of seven children whose parents had a powerful impact on his life through the values they instilled in him. “He’s the handiwork of his parents. The values they passed on to him were humility, discipline, hard work and self-respect, love of the land, and love of Jamaica,” she said. She quoted from Mr. Rainford’s letter accepting the award in which he stated: “I am pleased to be included among the Caribbean patriots who have already received this distinction and I pledge to continue conducting my life in a manner worthy of this privilege.”
Sir Clive Hubert Lloyd, CBE AO, BM
Sir Clive captained the West Indies in three World Cups, winning in 1975 (scoring a century), 1979 and the 1983 final.
In 1971, he was named a Wisden Cricketer of the Year. He captained the West Indies between 1974 and 1985 and directed their rise to become the greatest Test and One Day International team of the 20th century; only Australia achieved comparable success. He is considered one of the most successful Test captains in the history of West Indies Cricket. During his captaincy, the side had a run of 27 matches without defeat, which included 11 wins in succession. He was the first West Indian player to earn 100 international caps.
In 2009, Sir Clive was inducted into the ICC Cricket Hall of Fame. In 2022, Lloyd received a knighthood at an investiture ceremony at Windsor Castle in England.
Roderick Rainford
Mr. Rainford served as the Secretary-General of the Caribbean Community from 1983 to 1992. Prior to this, he served as Deputy Secretary-General. He was integrally involved in adopting the Grand Anse Declaration in 1989 that charted the course toward expanding the Treaty of Chaguaramas and establishing the CARICOM Single Market and Economy (CSME). The former Secretary-General also spearheaded a significant review of CARICOM’s existing regional programmes and organisations in which some essential elements for the deepening of the Community were identified.
On behalf of her husband, Dr Nesha Z. Haniff Rainford, receives the award from Chair of CARICOM, the Hon. Dickon Mitchell, Prime Minister of Grenada
The Jamaican regionalist oversaw, inter alia, the development of the CARICOM Uniform Building Code (CUBiC), a regional code for constructing safe, sturdy buildings in an earthquake- and hurricane-prone Region. He also served the region as a member of the Board of Directors of the Caribbean Development Bank (CDB); Advisor to the International Monetary Fund’s (IMF’s) Director for Canada, Ireland and the English-speaking Caribbean; and Alternate Director for The Bahamas, Barbados, Guyana and Jamaica at the Inter-American Development Bank (IADB).
Utilising his wealth of experience, he has written extensively on issues about the Region’s social and economic development, providing rich knowledge to inform future decisions to improve the lives of Caribbean people.
Mr. Rainford played an integral role in developing and submitting the proposal to establish the OCC, the award for which he was honoured on Sunday 28 July 2024.
Editor’s Notes
What is the Order of the Caribbean Community (OCC)?
An Inter-Governmental Agreement establishing the Order of the Caribbean Community (OCC) entered into force on 28 May 1991. The Agreement makes provision for the honouring and conferral of the award on nationals of Member States of the Caribbean Community who have a record of outstanding service and contributions to the political, social and cultural development of the Region. The Inter-Governmental Agreement assigns roles and responsibilities to Member States, the Advisory Committee and the CARICOM Secretariat for the operation of the award scheme. Member States are required to ensure legislative provisions are made for enforcing the terms and conditions of the 1991 Agreement and nominate candidates whom they feel deserve the honour because of their contributions to national and regional development.
The appointment of an Advisory Committee for the Order of the Caribbean Community by the Conference of Heads of Government gave effect to the administrative machinery for the conferral of the OCC awards.
Proposals by Member States for nominations are channelled through and considered by the Advisory Committee, which plays a key role in monitoring the awards process. Recommendations are submitted by the Advisory Committee to the Conference of the Heads of Government for approval. The Advisory Committee is tasked to review the operation and administration of the OCC which is a function of the CARICOM Secretariat.
Helpful links
More on Sir Clive Hubert Lloyd, CBE AO, BM
https://hgc.caricom.org/sir-clive-lloyd-to-receive-order-of-the-caribbean-community-at-47th-hgc/
More Roderick Rainford
https://caricom.org/secretaries_general/ambassador-mr-roderick-rainford/
List of Order of the Caribbean Community (OCC) recipients
Order of the Caribbean Community (OCC) – CARICOM
