Haiti

(CARICOM Secretariat, Turkeyen, Greater Georgetown, Guyana) A Meeting of the Bureau of Heads to discuss the situation in Haiti is likely to be held in the margins of the upcoming Heads of Government Summit on Youth in Paramaribo, Suriname.

The Summit will be held 29-30 January 2010.

His Excellency Edwin Carrington, Secretary-General of CARICOM pointed out that Hon. Roosevelt Skerrit, Prime Minister of Dominica and Chairman of the Community, has been consulting his colleagues continuously since the 12 January earthquake.

(CARICOM Secretariat, Turkeyen, Greater Georgetown, Guyana) A meeting on Contingent Rights opened at the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) Secretariat in Georgetown with the observance of a moment’s silence for those who have died in the powerful earthquake in CARICOM Member State, Haiti.

Ambassador Lolita Applewhaite, CARICOM Deputy Secretary-General who led delegates in Georgetown, and in Kingston, Jamaica via videoconferencing in observing the moment of silence also urged them to continue to keep the people of Haiti in their private thoughts and prayers.

(CARICOM Secretariat, Turkeyen, Greater Georgetown, Guyana) The Caribbean Community (CARICOM) moved its assistance to its earthquake devastated Member State, Haiti to another level with the deployment of a Tactical Mission to that country on Sunday, 17 January.

(CARICOM Secretariat, Turkeyen, Greater Georgetown, Guyana) Caribbean Community (CARICOM) countries have kicked into high gear their support towards Haiti in the aftermath of the powerful earthquake which hit the French Speaking CARICOM country on Tuesday January 12, 2010.

Member States have offered support to rescue and recovery missions in Haiti in the form of military assistance, search and rescue teams, medical personnel, artisans and aircrafts.

NASSAU, Bahamas – The Government has ordered the release of illegal Haitian immigrants detained at the country’s Detention Centre, and has suspended the repatriation of illegal Haitian nationals, due to conditions in earthquake-ravaged Haiti, Prime Minister the Rt. Hon. Hubert Ingraham advised Thursday night.
Mr. Ingraham said_ “The Department of Immigration will release from the Detention Centre those Haitians who are currently there, and give them some temporary status until such time as things have changed.

(CARICOM Secretariat, Turkeyen, Greater Georgetown, Guyana) The Caribbean Community (CARICOM) is deeply distressed and shocked by the enormous loss of life and devastation wrought on its Member State, Haiti and in particular the capital, Port-au-Prince, by the powerful earthquake of Tuesday 12 January 2010.

(CARICOM Secretariat, Turkeyen, Greater Georgetown, Guyana) The Caribbean Community (CARICOM) is distressed at the initial reports coming out of Haiti in the wake of the destruction wrought by the series of earthquakes which struck its Member State on Tuesday.

As it continues to monitor the situation closely, CARICOM will move quickly to mobilize its disaster emergency response systems in order to render assistance to Haiti.

(CARICOM Secretariat, Turkeyen, Greater Georgetown, Guyana) A six member team from the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) will travel to Haiti on Saturday 4th February, to observe the first round of next Tuesday’s presidential and legislative elections.

The team will be headed by Jamaica’s former Director of Elections, Mr. Noel Lee, and will include observers from other Member States.

(CARICOM Secretariat, Turkeyen, Greater Georgetown, Guyana) Deputy Secretary-General of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM), Ambassador Lolita Applewhaite and Assistant Secretary-General Foreign and Community Relations, Ambassador Colin Granderson will participate in the International Conference for the Economic and Social Development of Haiti in Madrid, Spain, from 29-30 November 2006.

(CARICOM Secretariat, Turkeyen, Greater Georgetown, Guyana) On Wednesday 18 October, 2006,   Hon. Dr Denzil Douglas, Prime Minister of St. Kitts and Nevis, and Chairman of the Conference of Heads of Government of CARICOM,   will lead a Prime Ministerial mission on a one-day visit to Haiti, in fulfillment of a decision made by the Heads of Government at their Twenty-Seventh Regular Meeting in St Kitts in July 2006.