(CARICOM Secretariat, Turkeyen, Greater Georgetown, Guyana)  The Caribbean Community (CARICOM) Council for Finance and Planning (COFAP) has agreed that a technical team should visit Haiti in the near future for discussions with the government on how the Community could assist in helping that country recover from the devastating effects of the 2008 hurricane season.

  (CARICOM Secretariat, Turkeyen, Greater Georgetown, Guyana)  The Caribbean Community (CARICOM) Council for Finance and Planning (COFAP) has established a Task Force to recommend policies, programmes and approaches to lessen the effects of the global recession on CARICOM Member States.

(CARICOM Secretariat, Turkeyen, Greater Georgetown, Guyana) Final preparations for Twentieth Inter-Sessional Meeting of the Conference of Caribbean Community Head of Government will be in focus at the Twenty-Third Meeting of the Community Council of Ministers, scheduled for Georgetown, Guyana on February 2, 2009.

The second highest body in CARICOM also referred to as “The Council”, will examine arrangements for the Inter-Sessional Meeting to be held in Belize, from March 12-13, 2009.

(CARICOM Secretariat, Turkeyen, Greater Georgetown, Guyana) All speakers at the opening ceremony of the Caribbean Community’s (CARICOM) Council for Finance and Planning (COFAP) identified the greater convergence of Caribbean Community economies as a means of combating global financial and economic crises.

Honourable Prime Ministers and Minister of Finance of Saint Lucia and St. Vincent and the Grenadines
Colleague Ministers of Finance
Secretary General of the Caribbean Community
Ladies and gentlemen
Delegates and guests.

I welcome you to the 13th COFAP meeting and hope that we will have fruitful discussions.

I want to thank my colleague of St. Vincent and the Grenadines for the way he chaired the COFAP in the past year.

The Honourable Humphrey Hildenburg, Minister of Finance of Suriname and Chairman of the Council for Finance and Planning (COFAP);
Honourable Prime Ministers of St Vincent and the Grenadines and Saint Lucia
Honourable David Estwick and other Distinguished Ministers;
President of the Caribbean Development Bank;
Central Bank Governors and Deputy Governors;
Assistant Secretary-General and Staff of the CARICOM Secretariat;
Other Representatives of Regional and International Institutions;
Other Distinguished Delegates and Officials;

The Honourable Humphrey Hildenburg, Minister of Finance of Suriname and Chairman of the Council for Finance and Planning (COFAP);
Honourable Prime Ministers of St Vincent and the Grenadines and Saint Lucia
Honourable David Estwick and other Distinguished Ministers;
President of the Caribbean Development Bank;
Central Bank Governors and Deputy Governors;
Assistant Secretary-General and Staff of the CARICOM Secretariat;
Other Representatives of Regional and International Institutions;
Other Distinguished Delegates and Officials;

(CARICOM Secretariat, Turkeyen, Greater Georgetown, Guyana) Finance Ministers of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) will on Thursday examine preparations to usher in the CARICOM Single Economy (CSE) at the Thirteenth Meeting of the Council for Finance and Planning (COFAP) which convenes in Bridgetown, Barbados.

The CARICOM Single Market and Economy (CSME) is CARICOM’s flagship programme. The Single Market was established in January 2006, and the Single Economy is to come on stream by 2015.

(CARICOM Secretariat, Turkeyen, Greater Georgetown, Guyana) The meeting of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) Prime Ministerial Sub-Committee on the CARICOM Single Market and Economy (CSME) as well as that of the group of Heads of Government established to consider Issues related to the Governance of the Caribbean Regional Negotiating Machinery (CRNM) have been rescheduled for Belize just prior to the 20th Inter-sessional Meeting of the Conference of Heads of Government set for 12-13 March, 2009.