(CARICOM Secretariat, Turkeyen, Greater Georgetown, Guyana) When the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) Caucus of Health Ministers convene in Washington this week-end (29-30 September 2007), they are expected to receive and review among other things, the recommendations and follow-up actions emanating from the landmark CARICOM Summit on Chronic Non-Communicable Diseases (NCDs), held in Trinidad and Tobago on 15 September 2007, and advise on how to proceed on the actions to be implemented.

Dr. the Hon. Jerome Walcott, Minister of Health, Barbados and Chair of the Regional Coordinating Mechanism of PANCAP
Dr. Edward Greene, Assistant Secretary-General, Directorate of Human and Social Development, CARICOM Secretariat
Mr. Carl Browne, Director, PANCAP
Ms. Altoscha Anderson, CARICOM Youth Ambassador
Members of the Regional Coordinating Mechanism, PANCAP
Officials of the CARICOM Secretariat and the PANCAP Coordinating Mechanism
Officials of the Ministry of Health and National AIDS Programme of St. Vincent and The Grenadines
Members of the Media

(CARICOM Secretariat, Turkeyen, Greater Georgetown, Guyana) The Government of the Netherlands Antilles has expressed an interest in closer co-operation with the Caribbean Community through observer status in two of the ministerial councils of the Community.

Heads of Government of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) convened in Port-of-Spain, Trinidad and Tobago on Saturday, 15 September 2007 for a Regional Summit on Chronic Non-Communicable Diseases (NCDs) under the theme, Stemming the Tide of Non-Communicable Diseases in the Caribbean. The Right Honourable Owen Arthur, Prime Minister of Barbados and Chairman of the Conference of Heads of Government was Chairman.

We,the Heads of Government of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM), meeting at the Crowne Plaza Hotel, Port-of-Spain, Trinidad and Tobago on 15 September 2007 on the occasion of a special Regional Summit on Chronic Non-Communicable Diseases (NCDs);

Conscious of the collective actions which have in the past fuelled regional integration, the goal of which is to enhance the well-being of the citizens of our countries;