President Jovenel Moise of Haiti has given the reassurance that Haiti continues to be committed to regional integration. He was speaking at the opening ceremony of the Thirty Eighth Regular Meeting of the CARICOM Conference of Heads of Government on Tuesday evening in Grenada.

President Moise said his presence at the Meeting indicated his country’s renewed commitment to the process of integration. He said he strongly believed that the economic and social reforms that he was undertaking in Haiti would lead to effective participation in Regional programmes and activities.

“The integration process of Haiti into CARICOM Single Market is another project on which my five-year plan will focus. Indeed, I intend to continue with the efforts already started to harmonise the Haitian standards with the current ones within the Region, for product certification from the Community …”, he said.

President Moise said his administration intended to to accelerate the implementation of the components of the CSME so that Haiti, could fully participate in the regional integration process.  He said that  once freed from certain obstacles, Haiti, with its economic potential, would be a reliable and consistent partner for the other 14 CARICOM Member States.

President Moise also gave the affirmation that Haiti supports the Community’s initiatives as it relates to regional security, noting that cooperation between the Caribbean security entities and the relevant Haitian authorities should be strengthened.

The Haitian President also spoke of a transformation initiative for Haiti dubbed the Caravan of Change which focuses mainly on agriculture. He said the programme was aimed at mobilising institutional, human and material resources of the State to  improve access to public services for the citizens and increase the infrastructure that improves the overall productivity of the economy. The initiative should also undertake, in a systematic and determined manner, a set of structural initiatives against poverty, hunger, environmental degradation and disease due to poor living conditions.

“I have committed myself to convert our challenges into opportunities; to transform farmland still free of herbicides and pesticides, into  production area of organic agricultural goods; to improve the roads network; to rebuild public buildings; to increase and to improve our human capital; to make the leap toward the new technology; to increase and to diversify our energy sources essential for the attraction of Direct Foreign Investment and necessary for the stimulation of growth and economic development” he said.

See more photos of the Opening Ceremony here