The Caribbean Community (CARICOM) and the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) will formally inaugurate on Tuesday, 9 November 2004, a new five-year US$81 million development assistance strategy for Member States of the Community.
Chairman of the Conference, Dr. the Right Honourable Keith Mitchell, Prime Minister of Grenada;
Host Prime Minister the Honourable Patrick Manning;
Other Honourable Heads of Government;
Distinguished delegates;
Invited guests;
Members of Staff of the CARICOM Secretariat and Representatives of Institutions of the CARICOM family; Members of the media;
Ladies and Gentlemen.
Let me warmly welcome you to this Tenth Special Meeting of the Conference of Heads of Government of the Caribbean Community.
Mr. Chairman, Dr. the Honourable Keith Mitchell, Colleague Heads of Government, Honourable Ministers, Secretary General Mr. Edwin Carrington, Delegates, Members of the Media, Ladies and Gentlemen
On behalf of the Government and people of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago, I wish to extend a warm welcome to all of you to Port of Spain.
As Secretary-General of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM), I take note that this year UNAIDS Day is dedicated to the problem of HIV/AIDS particularly as it affects women and girls. This focus is most appropriate since it reminds us that our women and girls, especially those between the ages of 15-24, are among the most vulnerable to the disease.
Salutations
It is my pleasure to bring you greetings on behalf of the Secretary-General and to welcome you to the Eleventh Meeting of the Council for Human and Social Development. This meeting of COHSOD is the culmination of a series of consultations on accreditation and technical and vocational education, the recommendations from which form part of your impressive agenda.
CARICOM leaders concluded their two-day sugar Meeting in Georgetown on 29 September, collectively rejecting the European Union's (EU) sugar proposals and agreeing on an Action Plan to tackle the Region's opposition to the imminent EU Sugar regime.
It is my pleasure to chair this opening session of the Eleventh Meeting of the COHSOD which focuses on education and training . I am pleased that so many Ministers, officials and representatives of collaborating agencies and development partners are with us today as we try to resolve some critical issues that underscore the intricate linkages between social and economic policies, especially in the context of the CSME process and the role that education plays in the development of human resources required for a CSME that is competitive in the global arena.
Caribbean Community (CARICOM) Ministers of Education have agreed to work closely with the Commonwealth Secretariat, which will undertake a study, to articulate the implications of the managed migration of the Region's skilled human resources.
During a press conference following the conclusion of the Eleventh Meeting of the CARICOM Council for Human and Social Development (COHSOD), held in Georgetown 28-29 October, the Ministers expressed satisfaction that much ground had been covered at the two-day forum where the issue of skilled migration was high on the agenda.
The Eleventh Meeting of the Council for Human and Social Development (COHSOD XI) of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) was convened at Le Meridien Pegasus Hotel, Georgetown, Guyana on 28-29 October 2004, under the theme, "Investing in Human Resources with Special Reference to Education and Training."