he Caribbean Community (CARICOM) is taking steps to eliminate hunger and malnutrition by 2030, His Excellency Mohamed Irfaan Ali, Chairman of the Community and President of Guyana, announced on Sunday.

Delivering the feature address at the opening of the Forty-Sixth Regular Meeting of the Conference of Heads of Government of CARICOM which is currently underway in Georgetown, Guyana, the Chairman highlighted the “real work” the Region and its international development partners are undertaking to achieve this goal.

The CARICOM Chair also recommended the incorporation of the Region’s “human assets” to promote and aid the campaign to reduce hunger and malnutrition. “We are proposing to bring together the human assets that this Region nurtured into international fame, to bring their goodwill together as ambassadors to mobilise international financing and support so that we can end hunger and malnutrition in this Region. We have the capability,” he said.

25 by 2025 Initiative

Trade barriers are among the challenges Member States face when attempting to increase trade in agriculture in the Region. Reducing these barriers is one of the objectives of the Community’s 25 by 2025 initiative. The initiative, which the Chairman characterized as “a priority,” is one of the key agenda items that Heads of Government will discuss during this 46th Regular Meeting.

Intra-regional transportation is another barrier to food security. The Chair highlighted the “tremendous progress” that has been made to establish a ferry service. Work is being undertaken, he said, to ensure common systems for customs and immigration, are finalized to facilitate the seamless implementation of the service.