Hon. Julian Hunte President of the United Nations General Assembly and (UNGA) Minister of Foreign Affairs, International Trade and Civil Aviation of Saint Lucia
Colleague Ministers
Secretary-General
Delegates
Members of the Media
Ladies and Gentlemen
CSME
The Caribbean Community (CARICOM) Secretariat is enhancing the regional Public Education Programme for the CARICOM Single Market and Economy (CSME) with a series of communications events beginning in Barbados this week.
Caribbean Trade Ministers will meet with the Mexican Foreign Minister and the Director General of the World Trade Organisation, (WTO), Dr. Supachai Panitchpakdi in Georgetown, Guyana on Friday 28 November, 2003. H.E Ernesto Derbez, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Mexico was the Chairman of the Fifth Session of the WTO Ministerial Conference, which was held in Cancun in early September.
The meeting is scheduled to take place from 3.00 p.m. at the Conference Room of the headquarters of the CARICOM Secretariat, Bank of Guyana Building.
CARICOM Secretary-General Mr. Edwin Carrington is closing off a busy year with a heavy schedule of engagements, which began last weekend.
The Fifth World Trade Organization (WTO) Ministerial Conference came to an end in Cancún, Mexico, September 14. However, the ‘endgame’ was not the result WTO members had hoped for.
The Cancún summit closed with no consensus on key items on its agenda. Members failed to bridge their differences. Divisions amongst members proved too deep.
Today the Fifth Ministerial Conference of the World Trade Organization in Cancun, Mexico, at which all Caribbean Countries were present, ended without agreement on the many key issues. Billed as a Conference to advance the Doha Development Round of Trade Negotiations, the Conference collapsed on the key issues for developing countries such as agriculture, non-agricultural market access, small economies and special and differential treatment, as well as on the so-called Singapore issues – investment, government procurement, competition policy and trade facilitation measures.
In a brief ceremony held at the Headquarters of the CARICOM Secretariat in Georgetown, Guyana, last Thursday (4th September), the Secretary General of CARICOM, Mr. Edwin Carrington received on behalf of the people of the Community a Plaque to mark the distinction of co-operation between the Region, and Japan’s External Trade Organisation. (JETRO).
Apart from the selection and fortunes of the West Indies Cricket team, there is no other issue that evokes, in this region, a richer, more sustained, more fierce, and more misplaced commentary than the purposes and workings of the Caribbean Single Market and Economy.
In both instances, the debate seems to be inspired by the desire of the people of the Caribbean for the region and its institutions to succeed, and the unwillingness therefore to accept any departure from full effort and best practice.
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;