Secretary–General
Colleague Ministers
Other Representatives of Member States
Staff of the CARICOM Secretariat
Representatives of the Media

Thank you for your warm welcome on this my first visit to Guyana. I know I shall enjoy my short stay in this beautiful country. I am also, as Chairman of this Council, in the interesting position of having to welcome the host Minster, Carolyn Rodrigues-Birkett of Guyana, to her first meeting of Community Council. Welcome, Minister!

His Excellency the President of Guyana
The Hon. Prime Minister of Guyana
The Deputy Prime Minister of the Bahamas
Cabinet Ministers of Guyana and other Honourable Ministers of Government of the Caribbean Community
Members of the Diplomatic Corps
Mr. James Moss-Solomon, Chairman, and other Members of the Task Force
Members of the Private Sector
Deputy Secretary-General and other members of the Executive Management of the CARICOM Secretariat
Other Distinguished Participants
Representatives of the Media

Secretary-General,
Madam Deputy Secretary-General,
Members of staff of the Secretariat,
Colleagues,

It is a great honour for me to have been appointed by Prime Minister David Thompson to be Barbados’ Ambassador to CARICOM and to be welcomed formally today into the CARICOM family.

Let me begin by underlining Barbados’ unwavering commitment to the regional integration movement. Most recently, at his inaugural speech at the 19th Intersessional Meeting of the Conference of CARICOM Heads, Prime Minister Thompson made clear from the outset that_

Mr. Chairman - the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs of The Bahamas
Other Honourable Ministers
Their Excellencies Ambassadors to the Caribbean Community
Deputy Secretary-General and other members of the Executive Management of the CARICOM Secretariat
Distinguished Delegates
Representatives of the Media
Ladies and Gentlemen

As Secretary-General of the Caribbean Community, (CARICOM) may I welcome you to this the Twenty-Second Meeting of the Community Council of Ministers, the second highest Organ of the Community.

World Environment Day 2008 is being observed today, 5 June, under the theme “Kick the Habit_ Towards a Low Carbon Economy”. This focus is due to the fact that the world’s dependence on carbon-based energy has been one of the main factors leading to the relentless build up of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere.

(CARICOM Secretariat, Turkeyen, Greater Georgetown, Guyana) Heads of State and Government of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM), regional policymakers, representatives of the academic community, the private sector and financial institutions, as well as members of the Diaspora will meet in New York City later this month for the New York Conference on the Caribbean.

(CARICOM Secretariat, Turkeyen, Greater Georgetown, Guyana) The Caribbean HIV and AIDS Edutainment Project under the Caribbean Community Secretariat (CARICOM), the Pan Caribbean Partnership Against HIV and AIDS (PANCAP) Programme is to stage its first theatre production at the Grotto at Samaan’s Park, Castries, Saint Lucia on 6 June 2008.

(CARICOM Secretariat, Turkeyen, Greater Georgetown, Guyana) For the first time in its 35 year history, the Caribbean Community will come together on 13 September 2008 to mobilize its citizens - young and old - to engage in activities that will promote and sustain healthy lifestyles, in what will be the initial observance of Caribbean Wellness Day.

(CARICOM Secretariat, Turkeyen, Greater Georgetown, Guyana) The Caribbean Community (CARICOM) Secretariat will be engaged in a car pooling exercise and a Walk on World Environment Day which is being observed Thursday, 5 June 2008 under the theme_ Kick the Habit! Towards a Low Carbon Economy.

(CARICOM Secretariat, Turkeyen, Greater Georgetown, Guyana) The Twenty-Second Meeting of the Community Council of Ministers of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) convenes in Georgetown, Guyana on Friday 6 June 2008.

Among the matters the Community Council will consider are arrangements for the Conference on the Caribbean in New York 19-20 June 2008; the Twenty-Ninth Meeting of the Conference of the Heads of Government to be held in Antigua and Barbuda from 2-4 July 2008; and the Fifth Summit of the Americas and Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in 2009.