(CARICOM Secretariat, Turkeyen, Greater Georgetown, Guyana) The Secretary-General of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) Ambassador Irwin LaRocque and Director General of the Food and Agricultural Organisation (FAO) Mr. José́ Graziano da Silva reviewed progress in the latter’s assistance to the Community in agriculture, specifically in the areas of food security and assistance with sanitary and phyto-sanitary measures, and food and plant health.

The two heads of organisations were attending the Summits in Santiago, Chile of the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC) and the European Union (EU) and of CELAC. Secretary-General LaRocque was accompanied by Assistant Secretary-General for Foreign and Community Relations, Ambassador Colin Granderson, while Director General da Silva was accompanied by Mr. Raúl Benítez, Assistant Director-General and FAO Regional Representative for Latin America and the Caribbean; Mr. Augustin Zimmermann, Special Adviser at the FAO Headquarters and Mr. Alanjorge Bojanic of the FAO Office in Chile.

The CARICOM Secretary-General and the FAO Director General also discussed the effect of climate change on agriculture and its impact on food security, and explored ways in which FAO can help to address this issue. The CARICOM Secretariat and the FAO Sub-Regional Office in Barbados will continue to collaborate in these efforts.