(CARICOM Secretariat, Turkeyen, Greater Georgetown, Guyana) His Excellency Michel Martelly, President of Haiti is the feature speaker at the opening of the historic 24th Intersessional Meeting of the Heads of Government of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) on Monday in Port-au-Prince.

The two-day meeting will be the first ever held by CARICOM Heads of Government in Haiti which became a member of the Community in 2002. President Martelly became Chair of the Community in January 2013 and will serve for six months in that position. At Monday’s opening, the immediate past Chair Dr the Honourable Kenny D Anthony, the Prime Minister of Saint Lucia and Ambassador Irwin LaRocque, Secretary-General of CARICOM will also deliver statements.

Intersessional Meetings of CARICOM Heads of Government are held in the first quarter of every year with the Regular Meetings taking place around 4 July, the anniversary date of the signing of the Treaty of Chaguaramas which established CARICOM. The Intersessional is less formal than the Regular Meeting and does not have a ceremonial opening.

The Karibe Convention Centre, in Petion Ville will be the venue for the Meeting.