Prime Minister Douglas and CARICOM Secretary General, His Excellency Dr. Edwin Carrington are in Roseau to accept that Commonwealth nation's highest award for Regional Integration at the Parade of Uniformed Groups on its National Day, November 3rd  

"The Cabinet has taken a decision to bestow on the Caribbean Community (CARICOM), the highest National Award - the Dominica Award of Honour - in recognition and gratitude of CARICOM's support to us particularly during our most difficult economic period and the CARICOM family and the Governments rallied behind Dominica in support both in financial and technical aspects.

"And without the support of CARICOM Member States, Dominica would not have been able to achieve the level of growth that we are now seeing in our country and we would not have been able to get out of the financial situation which confronted us some years ago. 

And I believe that as a show of gratitude we felt it necessary to bestow upon the Caribbean Community and the Governments and peoples of the Region this very high award-the Dominica Award of Honour," Prime Minister Skerritt is quoted by the Dominica Government Information Service as saying..

~~Adz:Right~~In the throes of a severe economic and fiscal crisis in 2002, the Government of Dominica requested financial assistance from the regional and international donor communities to address its short-term financing requirements.