GEORGETOWN Guyana, CMC – The incoming chairman of the Caribbean Group (CARICOM), the President of Guyana, Dr. Irfaan Ali, says within the coming yr, 2024, there will likely be renewed prospects for the regional physique to proceed focused applications to advance “strategic priorities to pursue the Area’s growth targets and attempt for peace and prosperity throughout our Caribbean Group.”
Ali, in his New Yr’s greeting to the residents of CARICOM, mentioned the final six months of 2023 noticed CARICOM beneath the Chairmanship of Roosevelt Skerrit, Prime Minister of the Commonwealth of Dominica. “My first phrases have to be of thanks on behalf of CARICOM for his excellent management throughout that point – qualities that may stay with us as I invite his continued participation as a Member of the Bureau – and, in fact, his lively involvement as a Member of Convention as CARICOM implements essential initiatives to the good thing about all our folks.”
On the problem of regional safety, Ali mentioned that is an more and more essential matter.
“We dwell in a world the place peace is challenged from one nook of the universe to the subsequent. We ended 2023, nonetheless, with CARICOM’s strong function in assuring the rule of worldwide peace and safety in our nook of the world and making certain that Latin America and the Caribbean 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.”
He mentioned the Guyana-based regional physique is resolved to “successfully handle crime and violence in our Area, together with combatting the unlawful weapons commerce by 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.”
He mentioned the area’s meals and diet safety stays on the forefront of endeavors.
“ Regardless of adversarial 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 providers which might be accessible, dependable, inexpensive, and sustainable – to help anticipated improvements within the agricultural sector. Essential to this initiative is the necessity to enhance regional transportation, which is able to stay one in all our high priorities.”
He mentioned the physique will proceed to advocate for early and truthful operationalization of the Loss and Harm Fund, agreed at COP28, “and we will proceed our insistence on success 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 affect on susceptible Small Island Growing States (SIDS) and Low-lying Coastal Growing States, resembling CARICOM Member States.”
“Everyone knows that SIDS doesn’t contribute in any significant approach to local weather change, however we stock the heaviest burden of the affect: from extra and stronger tropical cyclones to more and more scarce and saline groundwater, 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 affect of local weather change should and can proceed.”
In reflecting on CARICOM’s fiftieth Anniversary, he mentioned it was a interval of reflection, and “we’ll proceed to advance these beliefs with the requisite undertakings which is able to permit CARICOM nationals to train their proper to free motion inside the Group and to carry the regional capital market into being. We can even work on making certain better participation of all sectors of our Group, together with the personal sector, labor organizations, and civil society, in constructing our CARICOM Single Market and Economic system.”
“We are going to determine new avenues for focused partnerships, particularly with our younger folks, to encourage modern approaches and renewed vitality for sustained financial growth and convergence.”
He added that CARICOM’s goal is to “enhance the lives of our residents, by purposeful and sustained cooperation, by delivering high-quality well being providers, a extra related system of schooling for younger folks, 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 continued and new initiatives will assist be certain that CARICOM is really “A Group for All.”
“Guyana is honored to Chair the Convention of Heads of Authorities from 1 January to 30 June. I sit up for welcoming all CARICOM Heads of State and Authorities to Georgetown in February 2024, the place we’ll host the forty sixth Common Assembly of the Convention and proceed our Group’s actions to mark CARICOM’s fiftieth Anniversary.”
“Allow us to strategy this New Yr with optimism and a strengthened need to pursue our shared aims of unity and prosperity,” he mentioned.
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