Excellency President Janet Jagan,
Esteemed Colleagues,
Distinguished Secretaries General,
Delegates and Special Invitees,
Ladies and Gentlemen,
In the spirit of our growing awareness of the existing linkages between our countries, our regions and in the world, it is my distinct pleasure and honour to participate in our deliberation aimed at fostering closer ties between CARICOM and the Central American integration system.
This year's commemoration of International Women's Day, 8th March 1999, is of very special significance. The World stands on the threshold of a new millennium and the next message will be the very first of the new century. The United Nations has already begun preparations for a Special Assembly on Women to be held in June 2000. There, the Caribbean will join the rest of the world in assessing the progress made in achieving greater gender equality for women in the period following the Fourth World Conference on Women held in Beijing in 1995.
It is for me an honour, a privilege and a pleasure to be part of this historic occasion which the holding of the 10th Inter-sessional Meeting of the Conference of the Heads of Government in Suriname represents.
Your Excellency Jules Wijdenbosch, President of Suriname
Chairman of the Caribbean Community
Other distinguished Heads of State and Government
Vice President of Suriname
Speaker of the National Assembly
Hon. Ministers
Members of the Assembly
Members of the Diplomatic Corps
Other distinguished guests
Members of the Media
Ladies and Gentlemen_
Esteemed Colleagues,
Esteemed Mr. Vice-President
Members of the Council of Ministers
Madam Speaker of the National Assembly
Representatives of High Councils of State
Distinguished Delegates
Member of the Corps Diplomatique
Ladies and Gentlemen
Your Excellency, Jules Wijdenbosch, President of Suriname and Chairman of CARICOM
Colleague Heads of Government
Vice President Of Suriname
Speaker of the National Assembly
Ministers
Members of the Assembly
Members of the Diplomatic Corps
Distinguished Delegates
Other Distinguished Guests
Members of the Media
Ladies and Gentlemen
As Secretary General of the Caribbean Community, it is not only a very special honour and privilege, but also a great pleasure to be able to offer these brief remarks on the occasion of the Twenty-fifth Anniversary of the Caribbean Community. The task is all the more pleasant for the fact that I had the good fortune to be at Chaguaramas to witness the signing of the Treaty, which transformed the Caribbean Free Trade Area (CARIFTA) into CARICOM on that historic Fourth of July 1973.
Your Excellency, Michael Arneaud, President of the Permanent Council;
Your Excellency, Caesar Gaviria, Secretary-General of the OAS;
Your Excellency, Christopher Thomas, Assistant Secretary- General of the OAS;
Distinguished Ambassadors and Members of Staff of the Diplomatic Missions Accredited to the OAS;
Members of Staff of the OAS Secretariat;
Deputy Secretary-General and other Staff of the CARICOM Secretariat;
March 8, 1998 marks the eighty-fourth year that the world will be commemorating International Women's Day. As we, in the Caribbean, take pride in the progress we have made in furthering the objective of regional integration and prepare to celebrate the twenty-fifth anniversary of the signing of the Treaty of Chaguaramas this July, we must also take stock of progress in moving our Region towards the imperative of gender equality and social justice.
CARIFORUM Member States have unanimously supported aimed at expanding and upgrading Melville Hall Airport , Dominica.
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Foreign Ministers of CARIFORUM meeting in Georgetown, Guyana at the Seventh Ministerial Meeting gave their support for the project as a priority under the Eighth EDF supplied by the European Union.
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In expressing its pleasure at the action by the Ministers, the Dominica delegation explained that their country did not have an airport capable of accommodating night landings even of small LIAT aircraft.
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