(Presented by Dr. Edward Greene, Assistant Secretary-General,
Human and Social Development, CARICOM Secretariat)
Guyana
It is my pleasure to welcome you all on behalf of the Directorate of Human and Social Development. Our Directorate has worked assiduously over the past year to support the flagship activity of the Community, which is the accelerated implementation of the CARICOM Single Market and Economy. Many of the activities in which we have been engaged are being discussed at this meeting.
CARICOM Secretary-General Edwin Carrington was among 35 members of staff of the CARICOM Secretariat who received awards at a ceremony on 23 July 2003 at Le Meridien Pegasus in Georgetown, Guyana.
It was an extraordinary occasion for the Secretary-General who received two other awards apart from one for 10 years of service. The first was a Special Award for being the “longest serving Secretary-General” having begun his tenure in 1992. Roderick Rainford, his immediate predecessor had served for nine years and was the previous longest serving Secretary-General.
Your Excellency Secretary-General of the Caribbean Community
Members of Staff of the CARICOM Secretariat
Colleague Members of Staff of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs
Ladies and Gentlemen of the Media
I feel deeply honoured today to present to you, Secretary-General, the letters which accredit me as Guyana's Ambassador to the Caribbean Community.
Honourable Ministers
Other Heads of Delegation
Distinguished Delegates
Members of the Media
Ladies and Gentlemen
It is my pleasure this morning, as Secretary-General, to welcome you to the Twelfth Meeting of the Community Council of Ministers, the second highest decision-making body in the Caribbean Community.
Chairman and Members of CARICOM,
Host Minister Hon. Clement Rohee,
outgoing Chair Hon Margaret Dyer-Howe,
Colleague Ministers,
Members of the Diplomatic Corps,
Representatives of Member Governments,
Representatives of Inter-Hemispheric and Regional Governments,
Ambassador Richard Bernal - Director of the Regional Negotiating Machinery,
Friends of the Media_
Deputy Prime Minister of St. Kitts and Nevis and Incoming Chairman of the Council for Trade and Economic Development (COTED), Hon. Sam Condor;
Minister of Agriculture, Housing, Lands and the Environment of Montserrat and Outgoing Chairman of the Coted, Hon. Margaret Dyer-Howe;
Minister of Foreign Trade and International Cooperation of Guyana and Host Minister, Hon. Clement Rohee;
Deputy Prime Ministers;
Ministers;
Mr. Secretary-General,
My colleague, the British High Commissioner, representing the Presidency of the EU in Guyana
Members of the Diplomatic Corps,
Members of the media,
Special invitees,
Ladies and Gentlemen,
On behalf of the European Commissioner for Development, Mr. Poul Nielson, I wish to express the Commission’s satisfaction on this occasion of the signing of the Regional Strategy Paper and Regional Indicative Programme.
An appreciation of the history of this region is critical to a fuller understanding of contemporary realities and future challenges. For the Caribbean shares in the great drama of the Americas of which it is an integral part, whereby new societies are shaped, new and delicately tuned sensibilities are honed, and appropriate designs for social living are crafted through the cross-fertilisation of disparate elements. The process has resulted in a distinguishable and distinctive entity called “Caribbean”. The process is intensely cultural.
The Community Council of Ministers, the second highest organ of CARICOM met on Monday under the chairmanship of the Hon. Osborne Riviere, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Trade and Marketing of Dominica in Georgetown, Guyana. Its priority issue was the consideration of the arrangements including the agenda for the upcoming 14th Inter-Sessional Meeting of the Conference of Heads of Government scheduled for Port-of-Spain, Trinidad and Tobago on February 14 and 15.