SALUTATIONS! I am proud today as Secretary-General of the Caribbean Community to welcome you all to CARIFESTA VIII in Suriname. This pride is heightened by the fact that this is the first time since my assumption of office in 1992 that this major Community event is being held in a non-English spea...

CARIFESTA is returning to the mainland in August 2003, in a year when both host country –Suriname- and its CARICOM sister states have a lot to commemorate - CARICOM marked its 30th anniversary and Suriname commemorated the 140th anniversary of slavery abolishment, 150 years of Chinese immigrat...

When CARIFESTA VIII – the Caribbean’s premier cultural event - winds down on August 30th in Suriname, organisers hope they would have found the answer to one of the most important questions: “where do we go from here.” “This is not going to be just another gathering. ...

Twenty-eight countries will take part in one of the most diverse Caribbean Festival of the Arts ever, which gets underway in Paramaribo, Suriname on Sunday 24 August. CARIFESTA VIII with its theme “Cultural Diversity” will bring together the Caribbean exponents of the performing, fine,...

CARICOM Secretary-General Edwin Carrington was among 35 members of staff of the CARICOM Secretariat who received awards at a ceremony on 23 July 2003 at Le Meridien Pegasus in Georgetown, Guyana. It was an extraordinary occasion for the Secretary-General who received two other awards apart from on...

Your Excellency Secretary-General of the Caribbean Community Members of Staff of the CARICOM Secretariat Colleague Members of Staff of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Ladies and Gentlemen of the Media I feel deeply honoured today to present to you, Secretary-General, the letters which accredit ...

Most Honourable P.J. Patterson, Prime Minister of Jamaica and Chairperson of CARICOM, Distinguished Heads of State and Government of CARICOM Your Excellencies: Ministers, Ambassadors and High Commissioners, Delegates and friends On behalf of the African Union and your brothers and sisters in Af...

Governor General of Jamaica Colleague Heads of Government Your Excellency President of South Africa Ministers of Government Members of the Diplomatic Corp Secretary General of the Caribbean Community Excellences Ladies and Gentlemen: I am happy to be part of the formal opening today, of thi...

Your Excellencies the Governor General of Jamaica and the Most Hon. Lady Cooke Our Host, the Prime Minister of Jamaica, and our current CARICOM Chairman, the Most Hon. P. J. Patterson Your Excellencies, the Presidents of the Republic of South Africa and of the Republic of Chile Distinguished Head...

Most Honourable Percival J. Patterson, Prime Minister of Jamaica and Chairman of the Caribbean Community, Your Excellency Thabo Mbeki, President of South Africa and Chairman of the African Union, Colleague Heads of Government of the Caribbean Community, Honourable Ministers of Governments, Member...