COHSOD

Theme_ GENDER AS A CROSSCUTTING ELEMENT

  

Salutation 

(CARICOM Secretariat, Georgetown, Guyana) Deputy Secretary-General of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM), Ambassador Lolita Applewhaite has made a strong call for women and men to be treated equally in Regional development policies. Ambassador Applewhaite was at the time delivering remarks at the opening of the Twelfth Meeting of CARICOM's Council for Human and Social Development (COHSOD). The three-day Meeting opened in Georgetown on Wednesday, 27 April under the theme "Gender As A Cross-Cutting Theme In Human And Social Development Issues."

(CARICOM Secretariat, Georgetown, Guyana) When Ministers of the CARICOM Council for Human and Social Development (COHSOD) assemble in Georgetown for their twelfth meeting which commences on Wednesday April 27th, they will concentrate mainly on social issues that currently affect women and men across the Region.

(CARICOM Secretariat, Georgetown, Guyana) The first Regional Workshop bringing together some seventeen Civil Registrars and Vital Statisticians from Caribbean Community (CARICOM) Member States ended in Georgetown, Guyana on Wednesday, 6 April, with participants endorsing an initiative to establish a CARICOM Association of Civil Registrars and Vital Statisticians.

The Eleventh Meeting of the Council for Human and Social Development (COHSOD XI) of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) was convened at Le Meridien Pegasus Hotel, Georgetown, Guyana on 28-29 October 2004, under the theme, "Investing in Human Resources with Special Reference to Education and Training."

Salutations

It is my pleasure to bring you greetings on behalf of the Secretary-General and to welcome you to the Eleventh Meeting of the Council for Human and Social Development. This meeting of COHSOD is the culmination of a series of consultations on accreditation and technical and vocational education, the recommendations from which form part of your impressive agenda.

Salutations

On March 30, 2003 when the Special Meeting of Education - COHSOD was held in Trinidad and Chaired by Suriname, I was delighted to welcome Ministers of Education to Trinidad and Tobago.

I also emphasised the importance of COHSOD as a mechanism that allows us to come together to learn from each other to plan for our education systems in our own countries while recognizing that our success ultimately will depend upon our ability to prepare young people of the Caribbean to assure future roles in all our activities.

It is my pleasure to chair this opening session of the Eleventh Meeting of  the COHSOD which focuses on education and training . I am pleased that so many Ministers, officials and representatives of collaborating agencies and development partners are with us today as we try to resolve some critical issues that underscore the intricate linkages between social and economic policies, especially in the context of the CSME process and the role that education plays in the development of human resources required for a CSME that is competitive in the global arena.

Adequate preparation of the Region's work force to reap the benefits being afforded by the CARICOM Single Market and Economy (CSME) and a globalised world will be among the core issues on the agenda for Caribbean Community (CARICOM) Ministers and officials when the Eleventh Meeting of the Council for Human and Social Development (COHSOD) convenes in Georgetown, 28-29 October 2004.

The Special Meeting of the Council for Human and Social Development (COHSOD): Culture was convened at the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) Secretariat Headquarters, Bank of Guyana Building, Georgetown, Guyana on 2-3 June 2004 under the Chairmanship of the Hon. Edward Hart, Minister of State in the Ministry of Community Development, Culture and Gender Affairs, Trinidad and Tobago.