Press Releases

​I am indeed delighted to welcome you all to Guyana for this Thirty-Seventh Special Meeting of the Council for Trade and Economic Development (COTED) on Environment and Sustainable Development.

Ladies and Gentlemen_ It is indeed encouraging that we are meeting at this time to focus on this theme which is critical to us as a Region. In the Declaration of Barbados which ensued from the Global Conference on the Sustainable Development of Small Island States, we affirmed, that sustainable development programmes must seek to enhance the quality of life of our peoples.

​(CARICOM Secretariat, Turkeyen, Greater Georgetown, Guyana) It gives me great pleasure to welcome you to this Thirty-Seventh Special Meeting of the Council for Trade and Economic Development (COTED) on the Environment and Sustainable Development.

Our new Secretary- General, Ambassador Irwin LaRocque, regrets not being present for this important meeting and sends his best wishes for a successful meeting. He was invited to attend the investiture of the new Chief Justice of the Caribbean Court of Justice in St Kitts and Nevis.

(CARICOM Secretariat, Turkeyen, Greater Georgetown, Guyana) As efforts continue in the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) to insulate the tourism sector from the downturn in global economies, the Government of The Bahamas, the CARICOM Secretariat and the Latin America and Caribbean Economic System (SELA) have collaborated to convene the First Regional Seminar on Tourism, 31 August-1 September, in The Bahamas.

​(CARICOM Secretariat, Turkeyen, Greater Georgetown, Guyana) Firstly, let me begin by extending warm congratulations and appreciation to the Government and People of the Republic of El Salvador and more specifically to you President Funes, for the excellent arrangements made for this Third Summit of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) and the Central American Integration System (SICA).

​Today, I begin my task as the Secretary-General of the Caribbean Community with a mix of excitement and awe given the challenges of the moment.

I wish at the outset, to express my appreciation to you, Mr. Chairman, and your colleague Heads of Government of the Caribbean Community for the confidence reposed in me as Secretary-General of our Community.

I take particular note of the charge you have given me, Mr. Chairman.

​On behalf of the CARICOM Delegation, I wish to welcome you most warmly to the Headquarters of the CARICOM Secretariat on the occasion of the Sixth General Meeting of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) and its Associated Institutions, and the United Nations (UN) System.

It is indeed a pleasure for CARICOM to host the United Nations and several of its Institutions in our Region. The presence of so many of our Regional Institutions, along with strong representation from the UN System at this Meeting, highlights the level of commitment on both sides to this important partnership.

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I am pleased to address this gathering of representatives of CARICOM Institutions.

As Chair of the Steering Committee for the Caribbean Public Health Agency (CARPHA), I feel a sense of accomplishment to be able to speak on behalf of this new enterprise. The signing of the Inter-Governmental Agreement at the 32nd Meeting of CARICOM Heads of Government has conferred legal status, thereby making CARPHA a CARICOM Institution.

(CARICOM Secretariat, Turkeyen Greater Georgetown, Guyana) The Caribbean Regional Public Health Agency (CARPHA) is moving full speed ahead to becoming one of the centres of excellence within the CARIBBEAN Community (CARICOM).

This is according to Dr the Honourable Leslie Ramsammy Chair of the steering Committee of this recently established Agency. CARPHA became a legal entity following the final required signing of the Inter-governmental Agreement at the 32nd Regular Meeting of the Conference of Heads of Government in St Kitts and Nevis, July 2011.

​(CARICOM Secretariat, Turkeyen, Greater Georgetown, Guyana) It is my pleasure to welcome you to this Second Forum on Donor Co-ordination and Aid Effectiveness.

In so doing I wish to express the Community’s on-going solidarity with the Government and people of Japan as they continue their struggle to come to terms with the effects of the disastrous earthquake, tsunami and nuclear plant leaks. At the same time I am certain that the splendid performance of their successful World Cup women’s football team would have brought joy to the nation. Congratulations!

(CARICOM Secretariat, Turkeyen, Greater Georgetown, Guyana) Ambassador Irwin LaRocque has been selected to serve as the seventh Secretary-General of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) by the Heads of Government. Ambassador LaRocque, 56, a national of Dominica replaces His Excellency Sir Edwin Carrington of Trinidad and Tobago.

Ambassador LaRocque is the current Assistant Secretary-General for Trade and Economic Integration at the CARICOM Secretariat, having served in that post since September 2005.