ASG, Dr. Edward Greene
Minister Shaddik
Director, Jacqulyn Joseph
Excellencies and Distinguished Participants
The Caribbean Rice Industry stands in the near future, to benefit from an almost 25 million Euro injection from the European Union to assist in moves to become more competitive.
The Region has been promised a cultural feast when the five-day celebrations of CARIFESTA VIII are hosted in Suriname
At a special launching ceremony held in Georgetown Friday last, a Suriname delegation led by Minister of Education and Community Development, Hon. Walter Sandriman unveiled the CARIFESTA logo, announced the slogan and released the jingle for what promises to be a most unique cultural blast, full of energy and diversity. Minister Sandriman called for support from all CARICOM Member States to ensure the success of the festival.
The Region should expect a much more integrated approach to Human and Social Development (HSD) in the future as the Seventh Meeting of the Council of Human and Social Development (COHSOD VII) scheduled for Georgetown, Guyana October 23-25, 2002 will focus its attention on new strategies in education, health, labour, youth and gender in order to better place the people of the region for today’s global challenges.
The Caribbean Community (CARICOM) has despatched a three-member team to Jamaica as part of the International Observers to the electoral process in that country. General elections are being held in Jamaica on Wednesday 16 October, 2002.
The team is led by Ambassador Colin Granderson, Assistant Secretary-General, Foreign Policy and Community Relations, CARICOM Secretariat and includes Dr S.R. Surujbally, Chairman of the Elections Commission of Guyana, and Mr Carson Raggie, Chief Elections Officer, Saint Lucia.
The Caribbean Community (CARICOM) will take a major step in advancing the Regional integration process when the Unit to spearhead implementation of the CARICOM Single Market and Economy (CSME) opens its offices in Barbados on Monday 14 October, 2002.
The offices will be located on the 6th Floor of the Tom Adams Financial Centre in Bridgetown until the completion of the CARICOM Secretariat Headquarters Building in Georgetown, Guyana. This move is being made to accelerate the establishment of the Single Market and Economy.
I have learnt with great distress the reports of loss of life of several of your citizens as well as of the extensive damage caused to houses, public buildings and agricultural production in St. Vincent and the Grenadines resulting from the passage of Tropical Storm Lili through your country yesterday.
On behalf of the Community, its Secretariat and on my own behalf, I extend sincerest condolences to the Government and people of St. Vincent and the Grenadines and to the family of the deceased.
Mr Chairman;
Honourable Prime Minister of Barbados;
Outgoing Chairman of the Council for Finance and Planning, Honourable Minister of Finance and Planning, Grenada;
Other Ministers of Finance and Planning;
Other Ministers;
Representatives of International, Hemispheric and Regional Organisations;
Representatives of the Private Sector;
Distinguished Delegates;
Staff of the Secretariat of the Caribbean Community;
Members of the Media;
Ladies and Gentlemen
The Eighth Caribbean Festival for the Creative Arts (CARIFESTA) will be held in Suriname during the second half of next year. The host country, which holds the regional quasi-cabinet portfolio for Culture is going all out to ensure the success of the Festival scheduled for 25-30 August 2003.
We, the CARICOM Youth Ambassadors meeting in Paramaribo, Suriname between 19-27 August 2002;
Recognising the high expectations of our performance as representatives of the National Youth Organisations and our obligations to the youth of this Region,
Considering the priorities of the Community established by the Conference of CARICOM Heads of Government and the Council for Human and Social Development (COHSOD) for intersectoral approaches to youth development.