 Professor Edward Greene, Chancellor, University of Guyana;

 Professor Paloma Mohamed Martin, Vice-Chancellor, University of Guyana;

 Dr. Mellissa Ifill, Deputy Vice-Chancellor, Institutional Advancement, University of Guyana and Chair of this evening’s proceedings;

 Fellow presenters:

o Professor Alissa Trotz, University of Toronto;

Veterinarians continue to be at the forefront of the Region’s quest to reduce its food import bill by 25 per cent by 2025.

The acknowledgment came at the opening of the Twenty-Fourth Meeting of the Chief Veterinary Officers (CVOs) in Kingstown, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, on Thursday, 25 April 2024, where speakers highlighted the CVOs’ role in the development of the agriculture sector and in improving intra-regional trade

In the context of the Antilles-Guyana Regional Cooperation Conference, today is a day to celebrate our mutual contribution to regional cooperation and highlight the importance of our shared vision and commitment. Today we celebrate the XVII Conference with the firm commitment to seize the vast opportunities that await us, and to strengthen our synergies in finding solutions to challenges, as we pursue new horizons together.

Our Caribbean Community is one of the biodiversity hotspots of the world, home to plants and animals that are found nowhere else. We are proud of that accolade and are steadfast in our efforts to manage and protect our biodiversity.

Statisticians from across the Region are in Guyana for a training programme on statistical data and metadata eXchange (SDMX). The workshop, hosted by the CARICOM Secretariat in collaboration with the Statistical Office of the European Union (Eurostat), is being held at the Bureau of Statistics office in Georgetown. It began on Monday, 22 April, and will conclude on Friday, 26 April.