Open discourse, strong interventions to take place as CARICOM meeting gets underway
– Climate financing, energy security, CSME, among issues to be discussed
As the 46th Regular Meeting of the Conference of Heads of Government of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) begins, the regional leaders will engage in candid dialogue and explore robust interventions for shared issues.
Chairman of CARICOM and Guyana’s President, Dr Mohamed Irfaan Ali Monday said the session will see intense discussions on a number of ‘weighty’ issues, including the situation in Haiti.
“We are hopeful that sometime today we will be able to point the Haitian people, the region, and the global community in the direction through which we believe long-lasting solutions can be achieved. This requires all stakeholders in Haiti especially to give a bit, compromise a bit, and to express a collective willingness to achieve the outcomes that we are setting ourselves to achieve,” he stated, during brief remarks at the Marriott Hotel in Kingston, Georgetown.
CARICOM has maintained its resolve to support efforts at finding solutions to the ongoing crisis in Haiti.
In 2023, the Heads of Government appointed an Eminent Persons Group (EPG) to initiate and oversee the Good Offices provision in several priority areas, including security, governance, and the electoral process.
Also on the agenda for today’s business session is the strengthening of the CARICOM Single Market and Economy (CSME).
“An important issue in the region is the building of SMEs, and we will be looking at ways in which the region can work on enhancing the work of SMEs, ways in which our partners can help us to support the building and expansion of SMEs, and the more critical integration of SMEs into the regional economy,” the CARICOM chair added.
He said the country heads will be exploring mechanisms through which the sub-committee and senior legal officers can advance its implementation.
“We will have some interventions on strengthening this sub-committee so we can ensure that the work is being done,” President Ali said.
The issue of climate financing is also a critical area up for discussion, as the region continues to issue a strong unanimous call for fair mechanisms for the developing world in achieving climate targets.
He added, “On energy, we believe the time has come for us to have a regional energy plan that looks at the future, all forms of energy and to see how the region can be self-sufficient, how we can guard against inflationary pressures, and how we can become a net exporter of energy, especially as we move towards renewables and transitional fuel.”
Measures for advancing regional transportation infrastructure and the region’s 25 by 2025 initiative for food security will also be discussed at the business session today.
Later this week, President of the Federative Republic of Brazil, His Excellency Luis Inacio Lula da Silva will be joining the discussion to explore opportunities for greater collaboration and cooperation between Brazil and the region.