(CARICOM Secretariat, Turkeyen, Greater Georgetown, Guyana) CARICOM Secretary-General HE Edwin Carrington has commended Dr Ken Leslie, Director of the Caribbean Community Climate Change Centre (CCCCC), on receiving one of Belize’s Highest National Honours, the Order of Distinction, for his exemplary work in the area of Climate Change and Development.

On Thursday, 16 September, at an official ceremony in Belize, the national honour was conferred on Dr Leslie by the Government of Belize.

Under his directorship the CCCCC, since its establishment in 2004, has achieved significant milestones including the coordination of the region’s response to climate change, the successful implementation of several projects such as the Mainstreaming Adaptation to Climate Change (MACC) project; the development of a draft regional strategy on Climate Change, active involvement in the negotiations process for the upcoming United Nations Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen.

Secretary-General Carrington, in his congratulatory note, pointed to the “tremendous respect” that Dr Leslie has earned among the Ministers and officials, as well as representatives of regional and international organisations.

The text of the Message is as follows:

It is with much delight that I learnt of the well-deserved honour that is being bestowed on you by the Government of Belize today. Please accept my warmest congratulations. Indeed, your colleagues and friends within the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) and, in particular, of the CARICOM Secretariat and the CARICOM Task Force on Climate Change and Development, join me in expressing these sentiments

In my address today to the CARICOM Ministerial Meeting on Climate Change and Development in Saint Lucia, I took the liberty of making reference to the important landmark in your illustrious career as follows:

Dr Ken Leslie, Director of the Caribbean Community Climate Change Centre (CCCCC) is absent from this Meeting due only to the fact that at an official Ceremony today, he will be awarded the highest honour, the Order of Distinction (OD) by the Government of Belize for his contribution to Climate Change and Development. I ask you to join me in offering our warmest congratulations to Dr Leslie.

The ovation from the delegates, which included the Prime Minister of Saint Lucia, the Honourable Stephenson King, was thunderous and signified to me the tremendous respect that you have earned among the Ministers and officials, as well as representatives of regional and international organisations.

We salute you today and join your family, and indeed the citizens of Belize, in celebrating your achievements.