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Your Excellency, the Governor-General of Saint Lucia, Dame Pearlette Louisy In this Year of the CARICOM Single Market, it gives me very special pleasure to extend to all a warm welcome to ‘simply beautiful’ Saint Lucia, justifiably considered the ‘Helen of the West’. We were also here in 1998 in the year of the Twenty-fifth anniversary (Silver Jubilee) celebrations of CARICOM, for the Nineteenth Meeting of the Conference of Heads of Government of the Caribbean Community. On that most memorable occasion we were graced with the presence of, among others, the formidable and unforgettable international figure of the former President of South Africa, Nelson Mandela whom Mr. Chairman, you so brilliantly described as “the son who embodies the dignity of Africa and is the shining emblem of part of our ancestral resilience” And just in case anyone is inclined to forget that occasion, surely none can forget his dancing at Mindoo Phillip Park. Saint Lucia is now once again in the Chair of the Community and it is with the greatest pleasure that I welcome you Prime Minister Anthony, once again to the Chairmanship which you have already assumed with your customary dynamism, wisdom and foresight. At the outset allow me to take this opportunity to thank you Honourable Prime Minister, your Government and the People of Saint Lucia for the warm hospitality being extended to us and for the excellent arrangements for this meeting. I must also congratulate you, Mr Chairman, for the effective manner in which you have been discharging your role as Lead Prime Minister for Justice and Governance, particularly in guiding the historic establishment of the Caribbean Court of Justice – inaugurated in Port-of-Spain in April this year. Coincidentally, it was here in Saint Lucia at that 1998 Meeting, that the Community adopted in principle, the Agreement Establishing the Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ)-that central pillar of the CARICOM Single Market and Economy (CSME). We look forward to an equally productive meeting here in Saint Lucia on this occasion. To the outgoing Chair of the Community, His Excellency Runaldo Venetiaan, President of Suriname, I must equally extend our gratitude for his able leadership of the Community in what must have been a very challenging period for him – facing as he did during his term, national elections as well. And yet, mainly through his leadership, Suriname’s participation in Community affairs, including being the first, in January this year to achieve the long-cherished goal of adopting the CARICOM passport, is indeed exemplary and deserving of commendation. I must also extend to President Venetiaan and his party’s coalition, sincere congratulations on their significant performance at their recent national polls. Allow me also, Mr. Chairman, to congratulate Prime Minister Skerrit of Dominica, on his Party’s recent electoral victory. We look forward to working with him especially given his key portfolio in the Quasi Cabinet of Heads of Government for the movement of Labour. Ladies and Gentlemen, a hearty welcome is extended to our special guests and visiting dignitaries including the distinguished Vice President of the Dominican Republic, Dr. Rafael Alburquerque; His Excellency Jose Miguel Insulza, recently elected Secretary-General of the Organisation of American States; to the new Secretary-General of the African, Caribbean and Pacific Group of States, Sir John Kaputin; to the outgoing President of the Inter-American Development Bank, Enrique Iglesias; to His Excellency Anwarul Chowdhury, UN High Representative for the Least Developed Countries, Landlocked Developing Countries and Small Island Developing States representing Secretary-General Kofi Annan; and to our own Winston Cox of Barbados, Deputy Secretary-General of the Commonwealth. Since the gathering of CARICOM Heads of Government in Suriname in February for their Sixteenth Inter-Sessional Meeting, we have witnessed significant developments in the global arena of direct relevance to CARICOM. These include:
Impacted, and in some cases buffeted, by these developments, our Community has been accelerating its efforts towards the establishment of the CARICOM Single Market and Economy (CSME) – the vehicle for confronting the challenges posed by the changing international environment and for achieving its sustainable development. To this end, all Member States have been striving to ensure that by 1 January 2006, they are Single Market Compliant. We are truly relying on all Member States achieving this agreed target date. Indeed, we appeal to all Member States to take whatever steps are possible and necessary to meet this critical and unanimously agreed target. Barbados, Jamaica and Trinidad and Tobago are already there. Any Member State requiring assistance to this end, is invited to so indicate without delay. We at the Secretariat, and I am sure many a Member State, stand ready to render whatever assistance may be required. In addition, as regards the establishment of the Framework of the Single Economy by 2008, work has already begun, in keeping with the Agreement of Heads of Government at their Tenth Special Meeting held in Trinidad and Tobago in November 2004. A critical element now being examined, with the assistance of the Caribbean Development Bank, is the modality for the establishment of the Development Fund for dealing with Disadvantaged Countries, Regions and Sectors as provided for in Article 158 of the Revised Treaty of Chaguaramas. Following the decision taken at the Sixteenth Inter-Sessional Meeting in February this year, the Honourable Prime Minister of Barbados, Lead Head of Government for the CSME launched a process of consultation on the Single Economy with a brainstorming session in April of this year, involving a wide cross-section of stakeholders, including the private sector, labour, University of the West Indies (UWI), and the NGO community. A critical follow-up to that session, has been the commissioning of a Concept Paper for ‘ A CARICOM Vision 2015’ – a conceptual statement which goes beyond an economic perspective, informed by a body of research on global developments and crafted in a manner that the people of the Community can identify therewith. It has been recognised, however, that the Single Market and Economy cannot be achieved without effective community policies with respect to crime and security, to health, to agriculture, and to transport for example. Many of these constitute vital elements of our agenda for this Twenty-Sixth Regular Meeting, with major recommendations from the Lead Heads of Government for these respective areas. Most will require fundamental decisions at this meeting. Ladies and Gentlemen, since the meeting of Heads of Government in February last in Suriname, the Community has also recorded some major achievements, including most notably:
Mr. Chairman, I am sure that on this particular matter, I speak on behalf of the entire Community, when I thank you for having raised, at your very first meeting of the Conference of Heads of Government in Montego Bay in 1997, the importance of a more inclusive approach to Community governance and development through the involvement of the Opposition. Others, most notably, the current Prime Ministers of The Bahamas and of Antigua and Barbuda, were to follow in your wake, but none more definitively so than the distinguished Prime Minister of Jamaica, who as it were, already nudged the ball over the goal line. I thank you all, including the leaders of Parliamentary Opposition, who found it possible to take this historic step yesterday. Within the wider hemisphere, the Community continues to exert significant influence as reflected in the choice of the leadership of the OAS – both of the Secretary-General, the candidate that enjoyed significant CARICOM support; and of the Assistant Secretary- General, our own CARICOM Candidate. We extend warmest congratulations to Secretary-General Insulza and Assistant Secretary-General Ramdin and pledge our continuing full support in the discharge of their onerous mandate; A particularly important achievement by the women of the Community will be the conferment, during this Ceremony, of the 2005 CARICOM Triennial Award for Women on Justice Desiree Bernard – a judge of the CCJ. We congratulate Justice Bernard, a national of Guyana, on yet another milestone in her illustrious career. Distinguished Ladies and Gentlemen, we speak frequently of the importance of the role of our youth in the development of our Region and quite correctly so. We must therefore also recognise their achievements in placing the Community on the highest echelons of world endeavours. In this context, and particularly in this the United Nations International Year of Sport and Physical Education, I cannot fail to hail the recent achievements of Mr. Asafa Powell – a youth of Jamaica – in becoming the World record holder for the 100 meters thereby making him “the fastest man in the world”. And not to be outdone, Olympic gold medallist Ms. Veronica Campbell, also of Jamaica, (I wonder what makes them run so fast in that country) has now achieved the number one ranking among female athletes in the world. Sincere congratulations to both Asafa and Veronica, on behalf of an elated Caribbean Community. Even some, Mr. Chairman, who may not be quite so young anymore, continue to lead the world in their particular field. In this regard, I must also congratulate Mr. Brian Lara – the West Indian batsman, who has scored the most runs and the most centuries in test cricket – for being the only cricketer in the history of the game to set the world record twice for a test innings and indeed for being the only person to have ever scored four hundred runs in a test inning and, not out at that. And if more was needed, for the highest score ever by anyone in a first class innings, 501, and that too not out as well. (I wonder what he was aiming at!) Right here under the aegis of the Community, I am also pleased to report that this morning we witnessed the running of the inaugural CARICOM 10K marathon and to congratulate all the participants in particular the winners. In the junior categories: Shonell Griffin and Hiley Fulgence, both of Saint Lucia; and in the senior category: Pominus Balantyne and Samia Akbar, both of St. Vincent and the Grenadines. Mr. Chairman, you will be invited later in this Ceremony to hand out the trophies to these deserving winners. Should it be of interest to you, Ladies and Gentlemen, the Secretary-General also participated in the race, but after a determined start, turned to other matters! And Mr. Chairman, though not one of us in the same sense, I am sure you would agree that we must all applaud Venus Williams on her splendid Wimbledon victory yesterday. However, no listing of the recent achievements of the Community would be complete, without mention of the inauguration of the Permanent Headquarters of the CARICOM Secretariat in February immediately following the Sixteenth Inter-Sessional Meeting of Heads of Government. The Secretariat once again extends its grateful appreciation to President Jagdeo and the Government of Guyana, and looks forward to taking occupancy of the building later this very month. In closing, Ladies and Gentlemen, these many achievements demonstrate that our Community has not been standing still. They must, however, not blind us to the many remaining critical challenges with which we must grapple. The changes in the EU trade regime, especially in relation to sugar, as already mentioned, create a particularly difficult environment. This is so, as it comes on top of the significant challenges already created by the changes to the banana regime. This situation requires that the Community take far sighted decisions as a matter of urgency. In addition, the battle against HIV/AIDS must be intensified if the social and economic fabric of our society, including the CSME, is not to be undermined. In that regard, Heads of Government will need to consider, at this meeting, the recommendations of the Report of the Commission on Health and Development, chaired by Hon. Sir George Alleyne, OCC. The situation in Haiti, the newest Member State of the Community, remains another major challenge. CARICOM will need to intensify its efforts, in collaboration with the International Community, to ensure that Haiti is placed on a path towards stability and development. In that regard, priority will need to be given to ensuring free and fair elections. Finally, Ladies and Gentlemen, as the word “Community” denotes a co-mingling of people, it is critical to recognise that the progress towards and achievement of the many goals we have set must involve the people of the Community. Therefore, our institutions and our Member States must bend their best efforts towards educating, informing and involving the people. Good people of Gros Islet; I thank you. |
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