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).
Accredited Third States
The Caribbean Community (CARICOM) Secretariat presents its compliments to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Federative Republic of Brazil and has the honour to convey the following message.
   “The Caribbean Community (CARICOM) Secretariat expresses its deepest condolences on the tragic passing of United Nations Special Envoy Mr. Sergio Vieira de Mello, who died in service for humanity.
The Caribbean Community/CARIFORUM, the Government of Italy and the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) signed a US$5 million Food Security Project in Milan on 21 March 2003.
The Project is Italy's response to a US$26.2 million programme submitted by CARICOM/CARIFORUM to a Meeting on Food Security at the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) in Washington, DC in November last year.
The Caribbean Community (CARICOM) Trade Ministers will gather in Port-of-Spain, Trinidad and Tobago, on Monday 10 March 2003 for a one-day meeting with their Canadian counterpart, the Hon. Pierre Pettigrew.
Monday’s meeting at the Trinidad Hilton Hotel and Conference Centre comes just nine days after CARIFORUM Trade Ministers met with the European Union’s Trade Commissioner Mr Pascal Lamy in Castries, St Lucia. CARICOM Member States constitute 14 of the 16 CARIFORUM States.
CARICOM Ministers at the Fourteenth Meeting of the Council for Trade and Economic Development (COTED) which met in Georgetown, Guyana on 31 January - 1 February 2003 expressed deep concern regarding the challenge to the European Union (EU) sugar regime launched by Brazil/Australia at the World Trade Organisation (WTO) in September 2002. This challenge, if successful, would be disastrous for CARICOM Countries whose economies depend vitally on their sugar industries. Ministers considered this challenge as the most serious threat to CARICOM’s most important agricultural crop.
The Caribbean Community wishes to convey its full support for  the Mission to Venezuela currently being led by the Organisation of American States (OAS) Secretary-General H. E. Cesar Gaviria with the aim of promoting political dialogue between the Government of President Hugo Chavez and opposition groups.
The Ninth Caribbean Community (CARICOM)–Japan Consultation was held at MITA KAIGISHO Conference Hall in Tokyo on 5-6 November 2002. The delegation of CARICOM was headed by Ms. Fay Housty, Director of Foreign Policy and External Economic Relations of the CARICOM Secretariat and that of Japan by Ken Shimanouchi, Director-General of the Latin American and Caribbean Affairs Bureau, Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Ambassador Lortie
Distinguished officials of the Government of Canada
Distinguished delegates
Ladies and Gentlemen
First of all, Ambassador Lortie, let me express my appreciation and that of my delegation to you for your kind opening remarks and to the Government of Canada for the warm welcome and kind hospitality extended to my delegation since our arrival. In spite of these snowstorm conditions, the warm spirit of Canada which characterizes the special relationship which our Region has long enjoyed with your country has been very much in evidence.
The Caribbean Community (CARICOM) has followed with great concern the events currently unfolding in Venezuela, which call into question the legitimacy of the democratically elected Government.
The Caribbean should expect increased assistance from Canada as relations between that country and CARICOM have recently been strengthened with the appointment of its first Plenipotentiary Representative, His Excellency Serge Marcoux.