(CARICOM Secretariat, Turkeyen, Greater Georgetown, Guyana) Work is moving apace to incorporate the former Regional Negotiating Machinery (RNM) into the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) Secretariat as a Specialised Department in keeping with a decision taken at the 20th Intersessional Meeting of the Conference of Heads of Government in Belize in March 2009.
At the opening of the 27th Meeting of the Council for Trade and Economic Development (COTED) on 14 May, being held in Providence, Guyana, the Secretary–General said that the Secretariat was working to ensure a smooth transition with assistance from the highest levels of the Community.
Noting the critical nature of trade negotiations with Third States to the development of the CARICOM Single Market and Economy (CSME), the Secretary-General gave the assurance that the skills “garnered and honed over the years by our negotiators in multilateral and bilateral fora, will in large measure continue to be utilized in the best interests of the Community.”
The Secretary-General also expressed gratitude to Ambassador Henry Gill, Head of the RNM, for his “outstanding contribution to the Community through his involvement in, and latterly, leadership of the Region’s negotiating process. While his departure is cause for regret, I hope that his vast experience will not be lost to the Region.”
The meeting will be briefed on matters related to the governance of the Community’s external negotiations. Other matters being considered are the Common Fisheries Policy and Regime; recommendations for the establishment of a Single Air Space; Piracy and its threat to Maritime Transportation; and developments in relation to the preparations for the negotiations of the CARICOM-Canada Trade and Development Agreement.
