(CARICOM Secretariat, Turkeyen, Greater Georgetown, Guyana) The Caribbean Community (CARICOM) has signalled that it is relying on Mexico to bring to the attention of the G20, issues that are of critical importance to the Community, including the slow reform of multilateral institutions, climate change and the achievement of sustainable energy for all in the Small Island Developing States.
(Caribbean Community Secretariat, Turkeyen, Greater Georgetown, Guyana) Good morning. Honourable Freundel Stuart, Prime Minister of Barbados.
Your Excellency Desiré Delano Bouterse, President of Suriname and Chairman of the Conference of Heads of Government of the Caribbean Community.
Your Excellency Irwin LaRocque, Secretary General of CARICOM.
Distinguished special guests.
Esteemed Heads of State and Government of the Caribbean Community.
(CARICOM Secretariat, Turkeyen, Greater Georgetown, Guyana) I am delighted to have the opportunity, on behalf of my fellow CARICOM Heads of Government, to extend to you, President Calderón, and to your delegation, a warm and brotherly welcome to Barbados. My Government is doubly honoured at this historic opportunity to host the first ever visit to our country by a Mexican Head of State.
(CARICOM Secretariat, Turkeyen, Greater Georgetown, Guyana) Let me first of all take this opportunity on behalf of the Heads of Government and other delegates of CARICOM to extend a warm welcome to His Excellency Felipe Calderón to this part of our Caribbean, the beautiful Island of Barbados and to the Second CARICOM-Mexico Summit.
(CARICOM Secretariat, Turkeyen, Greater Georgetown, Guyana) Secretaries-General of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) and the Central American Integration System (SICA) were on Tuesday afternoon high in praise for an initiative which brought together high level representatives of the private sector of both regions at the Trinidad Hilton.
(CARICOM Secretariat, Turkeyen, Greater Georgetown, Guyana) Trade, Investment, Tourism and Cooperation will feature prominently when Heads of Government of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) and Mexico meet in Barbados on Monday 21 May for their second Summit. The first was held in Mexico in 2010.
(Caribbean Community Secretariat, Turkeyen Greater Georgetown, Guyana) Today, the Pan Caribbean Partnership Against HIV and AIDS (PANCAP) joins millions of fellow human rights activists around the world to observe the International Day Against Homophobia and Transphobia (IDAHO).
This year the commemoration of IDAHO is crucial as we all chart the way forward towards a world where equality for all is must and not an option.
(CARICOM Secretariat, Turkeyen, Greater Georgetown, Guyana) It is my honour to welcome you all to this Second Summit of the leaders of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) and the United States of Mexico.
(Caribbean Community Secretariat, Turkeyen, Greater Georgetown, Guyana) I wish to thank the organisers of this event for offering me the opportunity to interact with you, or as your flyer indicates, to be intimate with you this afternoon. In particular I want to thank Nirad for his patience with the time it took to get me here.
Member countries of the Organization of the Eastern Caribbean States (OECS) are currently receiving additional technical support to complement their on-going initiatives toward establishing a clearer path to a more sustainable energy future. Such technical support has been made possible through grant funding in excess of US $1.5 million provided by the Caribbean Development Bank (CDB) to the Secretariat to the OECS for the Sustainable Energy Technical Assistance (SETA) Project.