CARICOM Heads of Government conclude successful meeting

DPI, GUYANA, Thursday, March 1, 2018

Heads of Government of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) worked well into the early morning of February 28 before successfully concluding the 29 Intersessional Meeting.

The Intersessional Meeting was held in Port-au-Prince, Haiti from February 26-27. Second Vice President and Minister of Foreign, Affairs Carl Greenidge said the meeting successfully addressed specific issues including trade, immigration, and cricket.

“The importance of this meeting is that it actually had managed to conclude discussion on a number of these areas and to have concrete proposals that took us forward from where we were before”, he said.

On the issue of cricket, Minister Greenidge noted that the regional leaders have agreed to develop a brand for West Indies cricket. “But more importantly, how do you deal with the current impasse or morass in which cricket finds itself? The Heads agreed on some steps to move forward with cricket which includes approaching the ICC and declaring cricket to be, what the economists called a public good.”

Minister Greenidge added that CARICOM also addressed the recent United Nations Secretary General’s (SG) decision on the Guyana/Venezuela territorial controversy. The SG has recommended the controversy be resolved by the International Court of Justice (ICJ).

“It (CARICOM) was in conformity with the recommendations of the request they have made over the last two years. They commended the SG for the decisions taken and also, they, I think, look forward to the process evolving in a manner that benefits the region.”

CARICOM heads also managed to carry forward a number of pending agenda items. These included the signing of the Regional Air Services Agreement and addressing the intra-regional movement of Caribbean nationals.

There were also extensive discussions on climate resilience. “A recognition that resilience was not only a matter of putting in place physical capacity but ensuring institutional arrangements that will enable you to anticipate, react and adjust as well as a social adjustment”, Minister Greenidge further said.

The discussions at the inter-sessional meetings usually set the agenda for the July Heads of Government meeting. Those high-level discussions will also be held in Haiti.

 

By: Tiffny Rhodius