BASSETERRE, St. Kitts – THE curtains came down on the 32nd Meeting of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) Heads of Government yesterday morning (July 6) with the local and regional media being briefed on issues discussed and decisions made during the deliberative processes.
The event commenced with an opening ceremony held on the evening of Thursday, May 30 at the Eastern Caribbean Central Bank’s Sir Cecil Jacobs Auditorium and was followed by three days of discussions on several matters, including regional integration and food security.
CARICOM leader and Prime Minister of host country St. Kitts Nevis, Dr. Denzil L. Douglas, during a brief closing ceremony held at the St. Kitts Marriott Ball Room, noted that the meeting was a “focused” one which had the legal birth of the Caribbean Public Health Agency (CARPHA) as one of its priorities.
“Major issues have been commanding our attention over the last three days including, of course, the health of the region. As you may be aware, this year is the 10th anniversary of the Nassau Declaration which emphasises that the health of the region is the wealth of the region, And what better way to mark this particular anniversary than with the coming into force of the Agreement establishing the Caribbean Public Health Agency, CARPHA, which will have its headquarters in Trinidad and Tobago. We are reminded that CARPHA brings together five of our health and nutrition-related agencies under one umbrella organisation and it is expected to improve the delivery of health care in the region among other things.”
The CARICOM Chair said issues of Agriculture and Transportation were a major part of the meeting’s discussions.
“…Agriculture and Transportation continue to engage the attention of the Heads of Government in this particular meeting. I remind us that there are two key elements, not only of the Single Market, but of the integration process itself, given the need to bring a level of food and nutrition security to the region and the essential nature of being able to transport people and goods across the Community. In resolving some of the challenges in those two areas, it is vital that the private sector and our universities the Community become even more engaged in providing creative and innovative ideas to assist in this regard.”
The St. Kitts-Nevis Prime Minister informed that other issues which were addressed during the meeting included the appointment of a new Secretary General – a position which is temporarily filled by Ambassador Lolita Applewhite - and the possible naming of St. Maarten as a CARICOM associate.
“We are also closer to the appointment of a new Secretary General with interviews of the short-listed candidates – five of them – by the bureau of Heads of Government, scheduled within the next two weeks. Following those interviews, an appointment will be announced in short order from the Secretariat on behalf of the Heads of Government. Heads of Government have endorsed the candidacy of a Dominican national Dr. Clarissa Etienne, for the post of Director General of the Pan American Health Organisation, PAHO, and we’ve also endorsed that of Antigua and Barbuda national Ambassador Dr. John Ash for the post of President of the United National General Assembly for the period 2013-2014 season.
“Indeed…the dynamism and solidity of our community have encouraged one of our special guests at this meeting, the Prime Minister of St. Maarten, the Honourable Sarah Wescott Williams, to talk with us about submitting a formal request for her country to become an associate member of our Community.”
The closing ceremony was followed by a press conference during which members of the head table: President of the Republic of Suriname, His Excellency Desiré Delano Bouterse; Grenada’s Prime Minister, Tilman Thomas; Acting Secretary General, Ambassador Lolita Applewaite; President of Guyana, His Excellency Bharrat Jagdeo; and Chairman Dr. Douglas fielded questions from the media.
