(CARICOM Secretariat, Turkeyen, Greater Georgetown, Guyana) A five-day training intervention on negotiation skills for junior environmental negotiators ended in St Kitts and Nevis on Friday with the consensus that Negotiators play a vital role in the process of implementing Multilateral Environmental Agreements (MEAs).

(CARICOM Secretariat, Turkeyen, Greater Georgetown, Guyana ) It is my distinct pleasure to address you at the Opening of this Twenty-Fourth Session of the Caribbean Development and Cooperation Committee (CDCC). Let me first express my appreciation to Ms Alicia Barcena, Executive Secretary of the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC) for inviting me to share this occasion with you. She and I had a very productive dialogue soon after I assumed office and I look forward to working with her in the interest of the Region.

(CARICOM Secretariat, Turkeyen, Greater Georgetown, Guyana ) Any framework for economic stability and growth should also address social protection policies for the poor and vulnerable groups in our society.

This was the view of the Secretary-General of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM), Ambassador Irwin LaRocque as he addressed the opening of the Twenty-Fourth Session of the Caribbean Development and Cooperation Committee (CDCC) of the United Nations Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC).

(CARICOM Secretariat, Turkeyen, Greater Georgetown, Guyana ) The Reform Process in the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) including the Organisational Review of the Secretariat mandated by Heads of Government will be discussed when the Community Council of Ministers meet on 1 June 2012.

The day-long Thirtieth Meeting of the Council will be conducted via videoconferencing anchored at the CARICOM Secretariat in Georgetown, Guyana.

CARICOM Secretariat, Turkeyen, Greater Georgetown, Guyana ) A five –day training intervention for the Caribbean Region’s environmental negotiators opened in St Kitts and Nevis on Monday, 28 May 2012.

(CARICOM Secretariat, Turkeyen, Greater Georgetown, Guyana) Thirty persons from CARICOM Member States recently participated in four technical sessions held during a training workshop on renewable energy technologies, in particular, solar cooling and heating systems, photovoltaics and wind energy.

(Caribbean Community Secretariat, Turkeyen, Greater Georgetown, Guyana) Your Excellency, It is with great pleasure that I welcome you to the Headquarters of the Caribbean Community. Allow me to also welcome the distinguished delegation from the Embassy of Japan in Port-of-Spain and Mrs. Tezuka to this beautiful building which is tangible evidence of the excellent relations between CARICOM and Japan, and of the valuable contribution that Japan has made and continues to make to the Community.

(CARICOM Secretariat, Turkeyen, Greater Georgetown, Guyana) I am honoured to be here today for my presentation of credentials. It is indeed a great privilege to represent the Government of Japan to the esteemed institution of the Caribbean Community Secretariat.

I have further the honour to convey to Your Excellency, the sincere best wishes of Mr. Koichiro Gemba, Minister for Foreign Affairs of Japan, for the promotion of friendly relations between Japan and the CARICOM Secretariat.

(CARICOM Secretariat, Turkeyen, Greater Georgetown, Guyana) The relationship between the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) and Japan has been advancing steadily, Ambassador Irwin LaRocque observed on Friday when he accepted the credentials of new Ambassador of Japan, His Excellency Yoshimasa Tezuka, at the CARICOM Secretariat in Georgetown, Guyana.

(CARICOM Secretariat, Turkeyen, Greater Georgetown, Guyana) The critical importance of cooperation among like-minded nations to combat the vagaries of climate change was important against the increasingly devastating effects related disasters posed to Small Island Developing States.