NEW YEAR STATEMENT BY THE INCOMING CHAIRMAN OF THE CARIBBEAN COMMUNITY (CARICOM) HIS EXCELLENCY MOHAMED IRFAAN ALI PRESIDENT OF THE COOPERATIVE REPUBLIC OF GUYANA
Because the in-coming Chairman of CARICOM, I prolong heat New Yr’s greetings to all residents throughout our beloved Caribbean Neighborhood. Might 2024 be for all of us a 12 months of excellent remembrance.
The final six months of 2023 noticed CARICOM beneath the Chairmanship of the Honourable Roosevelt Skerrit, Prime Minister of the Commonwealth of Dominica. My first phrases should be of thanks on behalf of CARICOM, for his excellent management throughout that point – qualities that can stay with us as I invite his continued participation as a Member of the Bureau – and naturally, his lively involvement as a Member of Convention as CARICOM implements important initiatives to the good thing about all our individuals.
This New Yr brings renewed potentialities to proceed focused programmes to advance CARICOM’s strategic priorities with the target of pursuing the Area’s improvement objectives, and striving for peace and prosperity throughout our Caribbean Neighborhood.
Regional safety is an more and more important matter. We dwell in a world the place peace is challenged from one nook of the universe to the subsequent. We ended 2023, nevertheless, with CARICOM’s strong position in assuring the rule of worldwide peace and safety in our nook on the world and guaranteeing that Latin America and the Caribbean as a complete remained a Zone of Peace. We will proceed 2004 with this respect for worldwide regulation. All of us stay dedicated to peacefully and by authorized means resolving border controversies.
We’re resolved to successfully handle crime and violence in our Area, together with combatting the unlawful weapons commerce by means of our “Battle on Weapons” marketing campaign. We are going to depart no stone unturned in our efforts to return our Member State, Haiti, to peace and stability. Our Area should stay a Zone of Peace.
Guaranteeing our Area’s meals and diet safety continues to be on the forefront of our endeavours. Regardless of hostile challenges, together with local weather change, CARICOM Member States have made regular progress in the direction of attaining our ‘25% by 2025’ goal to cut back the Area’s meals import invoice. We are going to construct on these achievements, together with advancing our regional agenda for vitality companies which might be out there, dependable, inexpensive and sustainable – to help anticipated improvements within the agricultural sector. Essential to this initiative is the necessity to enhance regional transportation and this can stay as one in every of our high priorities.
We are going to proceed our advocacy for early and truthful operationalisation of the Loss and Harm Fund, agreed at COP28, and we will proceed our insistence on fulfilment of the commitments made by main emitters to be transformed to actions to cut back emissions that result in local weather change with its deleterious influence on susceptible Small Island Creating States (SIDS) and Low-lying Coastal Creating States, resembling CARICOM Member States. Everyone knows that SIDS don’t contribute in any significant approach to local weather change, however we feature the heaviest burden of the influence: from extra and stronger tropical cyclones to more and more scarce and saline floor water, to disappearing coastal lands, to degrading marine eco-systems, to emphasize on agriculture and different sectors. This is the reason our name for truthful entry to inexpensive financing to handle the influence of local weather change should and can proceed.
2023 was a interval of reflection as we marked the 50th Anniversary of our integration motion. We are going to proceed to advance these beliefs with the requisite undertakings which is able to enable CARICOM nationals to train their proper to free motion throughout the Neighborhood and to carry the regional capital market into being. We can even work on guaranteeing larger participation of all sectors of our Neighborhood, together with the non-public sector, labour organisations and civil society, in constructing our CARICOM Single Market and Financial system.
We are going to determine new avenues for focused partnerships, particularly with our younger individuals, to encourage progressive approaches and renewed vitality for sustained financial improvement and convergence.
Our goal is to enhance the lives of our residents, by means of purposeful and sustained cooperation, by delivering high-quality well being companies, a extra related system of schooling for younger individuals, safe and amenable residing environments, new jobs and a monetary local weather that’s conducive to investments.
I’m heartened by the tangible proof of what our collective motion and dedication have already achieved. I stay assured that the continuing and new initiatives being applied will assist to make sure that CARICOM is actually “A Neighborhood for All”.
Guyana is honoured to Chair the Convention of Heads of Authorities for the interval 1 January to 30 June. I stay up for welcoming all CARICOM Heads of State and Authorities to Georgetown in February 2024, the place we’ll host the 46th Common Assembly of the Convention and proceed our Neighborhood’s actions to mark CARICOM’s 50th Anniversary.
Allow us to strategy this New Yr with optimism, and a strengthened want to pursue our shared aims of unity and prosperity.
I want you all a peaceable and affluent 2024!
Might God bless you all.
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