Stakeholders at the just-concluded Stakeholder consultation on the CARICOM Single Market and Economy (CSME) agree that there is value in, and benefits to be derived from the CSME.
The Energy Unit of the CARICOM Secretariat has launched an initiative to formulate a Region-wide communications strategy for sustainable energy. The purpose of the strategy will be to create and increase awareness of challenges and opportunities in the energy sector; to facilitate behavioural change at all levels; to encourage innovation; and to facilitate the transition to new energy systems.
It is appropriate to remind ourselves that it is now almost 30 years since the Grande Anse Declaration of 1989 in which member states committed themselves to transforming the Caribbean Community into a Single Market and Economy. The report of the most recent review of the CSME prepared by the Secretariat provides a useful frame of reference for these consultations.
Salutations
Good Morning All:
It is indeed a great pleasure to be with you today and tomorrow as we discuss this very important topic of the Caribbean Single Market and Economy (CSME). We are particularly happy at the Caribbean Development Bank (CDB) to support these discussions.
At this this point in time the CSME is critical for our Region.
We recently published a working paper entitled the Blueprint for the Caribbean Economy (it is available online). In this report we set out the challenges that the Caribbean face and we have categorised these challenges under:
Is the architecture on which the CARICOM Single Market and Economy (CSME) was built appropriate today? Is the CSME overly ambitious? Is there political will and courage to continue the progress on the CSME? Why is there a deficit in the implementation of decisions?
(CARICOM Secretariat, Turkeyen, Greater Georgetown, Guyana) Chairman of the Council on Human and Social Development (COHSOD) and Minister of Education, Science and Culture of Suriname, the Hon.
Secretary-General of the Caribbean Community, Ambassador Irwin LaRocque, has described the Human Resource Development (HRD) Strategy as another step in the evolution of the development of human capital in the Region.
The critical importance of Drug Observatories (DOs) was underscored at the Opening of the Regional Seminar for Drug Observatories in the Caribbean on 4 April 2018, in Georgetown, Guyana. The importance of international cooperation and synergies in the fight against illicit drugs was emphasized also to the gathering mainly of Caribbean Community (CARICOM) practitioners, policy makers and researchers in the field.
The Republic of Slovenia and the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) are moving to further deepen relations.
New Ambassador of Slovenia to CARICOM, His Excellency Stanislav Vidovič, in a ceremony for the presentation of his credentials to Secretary-General, Ambassador Irwin LaRocque, Wednesday, pointed to several areas for closer cooperation including sustainable development, environmental issues, climate change and economic integration.
The Caribbean Community (CARICOM) Secretariat joined the world in observing International Women’s Day last Thursday. A Forum under the theme Gender Equality: A Pre requisite for Progress was organised by the Human and Social Development (HSD) Directorate of the Secretariat and the Secretariat’s Staff Association at the Georgetown-based headquarters.