...says in face of negative perception that CARICOM is 'a waste of time'
While the objective of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) has not yet been fully realised, the 15-member grouping, which seeks to promote economic integration and cooperation among its members, is not a waste of time.
This is according to CARICOM Secretary General (SG), Ambassador Irwin LaRocque, who met with regional journalists on Monday, ahead of the 38th regular meeting of CariCom Heads of Government, which opens today in Grenada.

CARICOM Secretary-General, Ambassador Irwin LaRocque on Monday said he hoped that regional leaders will sign off on an age-old Multilateral Air Services Agreement that seeks to pave the way for easier inter-regional travel.
Ambassador LaRocque made the observation during a curtain-raiser press conference in Grenada, ahead of the opening on Tuesday of the 38th Regular Meeting of the Conference of Heads of Government of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM).

BRIDGETOWN, Barbados, Friday June 30, 2017 (IPS) – The tourism industry is the key economic driver and largest provider of jobs in the Caribbean after the public sector. Caribbean tourism broke new ground in 2016, surpassing 29 million arrivals for the first time and once again growing faster than the global average.

BRIDGETOWN, Barbados, Jun 26 2017 (IPS) - A senior European Union (EU) official in the Caribbean said Europe is ready to continue the global leadership on the fight against climate change, including helping the poor and vulnerable countries in the region.

Underlining the challenges posed by climate change, Head of the European Union Delegation to Barbados, the Eastern Caribbean States, the OECS, and CARICOM/CARIFORUM, Ambassador Daniela Tramacere made it clear that the EU has no plan to abandon the extraordinary Agreement reached in Paris in 2015 by nearly 200 countries.

NEW YORK CITY, USA; Sunday, 4 June 2017 (CRFM)—The Caribbean Regional Fisheries Mechanism (CRFM) is participating this week in a high-level United Nations Conference being convened to advance the implementation of Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 14, to conserve and sustainably use the oceans, seas and marine resources for development.

The event, being held at the United Nations Headquarters in New York from 5 to 9 June 2017, focuses on the theme,“Our oceans, our future: partnering for the implementation of Sustainable Development Goal 14.”