The Twenty-Second Inter-Sessional Meeting of the
Conference of Heads of Government of the Caribbean
Community (CARICOM) was held in Grand Anse, Grenada,
on 25-26 February 2011. The Honourable Tillman
Thomas, Prime Minister of Grenada, presided.
Other Members of the Conference in attendance
were: the Prime Minister of Antigua and Barbuda,
Honourable Winston B Spencer; the Prime Minister of
Barbados, Honourable Freundel Stuart; Prime Minister
of Belize, Honourable Dean Barrow; the Prime
Minister of Dominica, Honourable Roosevelt Skerritt;
the President of the Republic of Guyana, His
Excellency Bharrat Jagdeo; the President of Haiti,
His Excellency René Garcia Préval; the Prime
Minister of Jamaica, Honourable Bruce Golding; the
Prime Minister of the Federation of St. Kitts and
Nevis, Honourable Dr. Denzil L. Douglas; the Prime
Minister of Saint Lucia, Honourable Stephenson King;
the Prime Minister of St. Vincent and the
Grenadines, Dr. the Honourable Ralph Gonsalves; the
President of the Republic of Suriname, His
Excellency Desire Delano Bouterse; the Prime
Minister of Trinidad and Tobago, Honourable Kamla
Persad–Bissessar.
The Commonwealth of The Bahamas, was represented
by Hon Brent Symonette, Deputy Prime Minister and
Minister of Foreign Affairs.
Associate Member, Bermuda was represented by
Honourable David Burch, Minister of National
Security.
Special Guests in attendance were His Excellency
Antonio de Aguiar Patriota, Minister of External
Relations, Brazil; His Excellency Kamalesh Sharma,
Secretary General of the Commonwealth and His
Excellency José Miguel Insulza, Secretary-General of
the Organisation of American States (OAS).
OPENING
The Chairman of Conference, Honourable Tillman
Thomas, the immediate past Chairman, Honourable
Bruce Golding and the acting Secretary-General
Ambassador Lolita Applewhaite addressed the Opening
Session.
The acting Secretary-General pointed out that the
countries in the Region had important assets and
advantages. “How we pool them and deploy them to
benefit the people of our Community is the crux of
the task at hand. I posit that to maximise that
benefit, the need to deepen our integration process
has not lessened. If anything it has become more
urgent,” she said.
Prime Minister Golding said that the Community
could not escape addressing the issue of governance
for it was a major cause of the “implementation
deficit – the Caribbean people’s benefit deficit.”
He said that various mechanisms had been proposed
but none had found unanimous acceptance. “If we are
hoping to find the perfect solution, we are setting
up our own disappointment for there is no perfect
solution. But it must be within our possibilities to
scale up the governance mechanism to better meet the
mandate of Grand Anse,” the Prime Minister added.
The Chairman told his colleague Heads of
Government that “for us upon whose shoulders the
responsibility for leading this region lies, we must
remain focused and singular in purpose.” He added
that “we must remain united in our conviction and
commitment, that our Regional integration movement
remains a primary construct and vehicle in our
process of transformation and modernization.”
“As we pursue our course, we must be ever mindful
of the needs, wishes and aspirations of our
expectant people. A populace, who are more
discerning and engaged than before, and are
unrelenting in their quest for a better standard of
living and a better region,” Prime Minister Thomas
added.
DEVELOPMENTS IN RELATION TO HAITI
Heads of Government reviewed the situation in the
Member State of Haiti with the assistance of the
Secretary-General of the Organisation of American
States (OAS) and their Special Representative on
Haiti, Most Hon. P. J. Patterson.
Heads of Government reiterated the Community’s
strong support for the country as it recovers from a
series of catastrophes and crises.
In order to strengthen the country’s ability to
effectively participate in all aspects of the
Caribbean Community, including the CARICOM Single
Market and Economy (CSME), they looked forward to
Haiti exploiting the three year one-way duty free
concession granted by the Council of Trade and
Economic Development (COTED) to goods entering the
Single Market from Haiti and requested COTED to look
at the possibility of expanding the list of products
at the earliest opportunity.
Heads of Government urged the CARICOM private
sector to collaborate and take advantage of the
opportunities offered by Haiti to strengthen that
country and the Region’s position in regional and
external markets. Heads of Government supported the
creation of a CARICOM Special Fund for Private
Sector Investment on Haiti to facilitate Caribbean
private sector investments in developmental
activities in Haiti. They also agreed to encourage
the private sector, including members of the
Diaspora, through appropriate incentives, to
contribute generously to the Fund.
Heads of Government restated their commitment to
provide support to augment Haiti’s institutional
capacity and to make available professional and
technical expertise especially in the short to
medium term. Heads of Government noted that the
cholera epidemic was on the decline in Haiti and
congratulated the Government of Haiti and their
international partners on their efforts at
controlling the disease.
They also took note that the Heads of Government
of Haiti and Jamaica regretted the circumstances
that led to the withdrawal of the Haitian under-17
football team from the Confederation of North
Central American and Caribbean Associations of
Football (CONCACAF) World Cup qualifying tournament
in Montego Bay, Jamaica.
Heads of Government expressed their support for
the demarches of Haiti towards the Federation of
International Football Associations (FIFA) and
CONCACAF for special consideration to be given to
Haiti to permit the team to participate in the World
Cup Finals.
His Excellency Rene Preval, President of Haiti
informed the Heads of Government that this Meeting
of the Conference would be his last. President
Preval expressed his deep appreciation to his
colleagues for the support provided by the Community
to Haiti during his tenure and for standing side by
side with Haiti, following the calamities of 2010.
Heads of Government also issued the
attached statement on the recovery and
reconstruction of Haiti.
PRIORITISING THE FOCUS AND DIRECTION OF THE
COMMUNITY
Heads of Government reaffirmed their commitment
to the regional endeavour and agreed that the
objective of the Regional Agenda should be focussed
on Improving the Lives of the People of the
Caribbean Community.
In noting that there appeared to be a loss in the
momentum with regard to the regional integration
agenda, Heads of Government agreed there was a need
to reassess approaches with a view to determining
modalities that would re-energise the Regional
Integration endeavour, in accordance with their
vision.
Heads of Government recognised that their
discussions were taking place against the backdrop
of the rapidly changing international environment,
including the on-going global financial and economic
crisis which has had a negative impact on the
economies of the Region.
They fully recognized that the Region itself was
facing many serious challenges to its survival. They
were however convinced that as a community of states
committed to the concept of a Region moving
together, these challenges could be overcome.
It was against this background that, despite
their concern at the slow pace of the regional
integration movement, Heads of Government urged that
the Community should not allow itself to be
discouraged by the often expressed views that
CARICOM was in crisis. They urged instead, that the
Region be viewed as being at the crossroads of
opportunity.
Heads of Government believed that CARICOM’s
leadership, at all levels, should acknowledge the
protracted challenges and the urgency of arresting
the associated perception of decline. The most
urgent need was not for broad new decision-making;
it was for implementing decisions already made and
embodied in the Revised Treaty of Chaguaramas and
living by the spirit of unity and collective action
that inspired the Grand Anse Declaration which
preceded it.
In this context, they accepted the invitation of
the President of Guyana for a special two day
Retreat in Guyana confined to discussing the way
forward for CARICOM, to be held between now and
their Regular Meeting in St. Kitts and Nevis in July
2011.
Heads of Government looked forward to their
Regular Meeting to be held in St. Kitts and Nevis
next July and committed themselves to that spirit of
regionalism that inspired the Community’s highest
moments of achievement.
Heads of Government are of the view that it is
time for faith in the onward march of Caribbean
civilization and for progressive, enlightened and
courageous action by a united Region strengthened by
that self-belief.
CARICOM SINGLE MARKET AND ECONOMY (CSME)
Heads of Government acknowledged the efforts of
Member States to continue developing the CSME,
despite the difficulties faced due to severe
economic challenges.
In light of the external trade environment,
including the Economic Partnership Agreement with
the European Union and the on-going negotiations
with Canada for a Trade and Development Agreement,
Heads of Government reiterated the importance of the
CSME as a platform for the organisation of
production and the development of competitiveness in
order to develop globally competitive industries to
exploit opportunities in markets which are outside
of the Community and which require cooperation,
collective action and the pooling of resources.
Heads of Government, noting the status of the
macro-economic policy initiatives, mandated the
Council for Finance and Planning (COFAP) to review
the elements and timetable of the Single Economy,
with a view to advising on the feasibility of the
timelines for the completing the framework of the
Single Economy.
Heads of Government, in mandating an urgent
meeting of the Ministers with responsibility for
Information and Broadcasting, requested that they
facilitate consultation towards the finalisation of
an overarching strategy by the end of the second
quarter of 2011, for public education and
information.
HEALTH AND HUMAN DEVELOPMENT
Heads of Government noted the significant role
being played by the Community in advocacy and
preparation for the UN High-Level Meeting on the
prevention and Control of Non Communicable Diseases
(NCDs) scheduled for September 2011. They agreed
that the Region would advocate for specific focus to
be given in the Outcome Document to the adoption of
policies to address risk factors, such as tobacco,
alcohol, diet and lack of physical exercises, the
reengineering of health systems and services,
strengthening of systems for access to low cost
pharmaceuticals and supplies and those for
surveillance and monitoring and evaluation of
programmes. They committed to convening national
consultations, involving a wide range of
stakeholders, in preparation for the Meeting in
September and to ensuring representation of the
region at the highest level.
Heads of Government urged Member States to sign
the Inter-governmental Agreement establishing the
Caribbean Public Health Agency (CARPHA) and
committed to providing all necessary support for the
short and medium term activities, including advocacy
and information activities required to sensitise
stakeholders at the national, regional and
international levels. Heads of Government commended
the Pan American Health Organisation (PAHO); the
Public Health Agency of Canada; the UK Department of
Health; the CARPHA Steering Committee; the CARPHA
Advisory Group for their support of this initiative.
Heads of Government agreed to recognise the
Caribbean Accreditation Agency for Engineering and
Technology (CACET) as the Accrediting body for
engineering and technology in the region. They also
emphasised the importance of regional coordination
with regard to the accreditation of programmes and
institutions and agreed to sign and ratify the
Inter-Governmental Agreement establishing the
Regional Accreditation Agency for Education and
Training as a matter of urgency.
THE BRITISH AMERICAN (BAICO) AND COLONIAL LIFE
(CLICO) ISSUE
Heads of Government received a report from a
Regional Technical Committee (RTC) on the resolution
of the British American Insurance Company/Colonial
Life Insurance Company (BAICO/CLICO) financial
difficulties in the Eastern Caribbean Currency Union
(ECCU).
They agreed to the recommendation for the
immediate establishment of a Health Insurance
Support Fund of $2 million (US) to be sourced from
the Petroleum Fund established by Trinidad and
Tobago.
Heads of Government also agreed that funds from
the Petroleum Fund would be directed towards the
recapitalisation of BAICO to address traditional
life insurance policy holders. Heads of Government
further agreed that the RTC would continue their
work in respect of a proposal for an investment
trust fund. In that regard, the RTC is expected to
engage with the International Financial Institutions
to assist in arriving at appropriate
recommendations.
CLIMATE CHANGE PRIORITIES FOR THE REGION
Heads of Government welcomed a report from the
Prime Minister of Saint Lucia on the outcome of the
Sixteenth Meeting of the Conference of the Parties
to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC)
(COP 16) held last December in Cancun, Mexico.
They agreed that CARICOM Member States would make
efforts to ensure that there is adequate and
balanced representation by competent CARICOM
experts, through GRULAC and AOSIS, on the newly
formed governance bodies of the Convention.
They also agreed that CARICOM Member States would
collectively sponsor and lobby for the Caribbean
Community Climate Change Centre (CCCCC) to be
designated an International Centre on Adaptation.
Heads of Government called on the Centre to visit
Member States to assist in identifying and preparing
appropriate projects, using established guidelines
of the World Bank and the UNDP, in order to make use
of available and emerging resources for climate
change adaptation.
Heads of Government requested the CARICOM
Secretariat to convene a Joint COHSOD-COTED Meeting
to agree on an action plan to address the way
forward for the Region to follow-up on the outcome
of COP-16, preparation for COP 17 and for the
implementation of the regional climate change
strategic plan, among other issues.
TURKS AND CAICOS ISLANDS’ CONSTITUTIONAL ISSUE
Heads of Government received an update on the
situation in the Associate Member, Turks and Caicos
Islands and reiterated their call for direct rule to
be replaced by self rule and for a return to
democratic and representative governance for the
people of the Turks and Caicos Islands.
EXTERNAL TRADE NEGOTIATIONS
Heads of Government reaffirmed their commitment
to sustained negotiations in order to conclude a
mutually satisfactory Trade and Development
Agreement with Canada and to that end, look forward
to considerable progress in the next round of
negotiations scheduled to be held in Canada in the
Spring of this year.
THE ESTABLISHMENT OF A REGIONAL SPORTS ACADEMY
Heads of Government received with appreciation a
presentation on the establishment of a Regional
Sports Academy by His Excellency the President of
Suriname. They welcomed its establishment
particularly given the important role which such a
facility could play in the development of youth and
sport in the Community.
CARIFESTA XI
Heads of Government expressed appreciation to
Suriname for confirming its offer to host CARIFESTA
XI in 2013.
BORDER ISSUES:
Guyana-Venezuela Relations
Heads of Government expressed satisfaction that
since their last meeting, the United Nations
Secretary-General had appointed Professor Norman
Girvan as his Personal Representative to support him
in his role as Good Officer to assist Guyana and
Venezuela in the search for a solution to the
controversy that arose from the Venezuelan
contention that the Arbitral Award of 1899, that
definitively delimited the territory between Guyana
and Venezuela, is null and void.
Heads of Government noted the positive
developments in the relations between Guyana and
Venezuela and the efforts being made by the two
countries to further strengthen those relations.
They reaffirmed their unequivocal support for the
maintenance and safeguarding of Guyana’s sovereignty
and territorial integrity.
Belize–Guatemala Relations
Heads of Government noted the report on the
status of Belize-Guatemala relations and the
commitment of the two countries to conduct the
simultaneous referenda to decide whether to refer
the territorial dispute to the International Court
of Justice for final settlement as required by the
Special Agreement. They welcomed the efforts of both
countries to improve the effectiveness of the
Agreement on Confidence Building Measures to reduce
tensions, pending a final resolution to the
territorial dispute and to develop modes of
functional cooperation in areas of mutual concern.
Heads of Government commended the support of the
Group of Friends and the Organisation of American
States (OAS) in helping to maintain peace and
stability in the Region and called on the
international community to continue to support the
OAS and the two countries in this respect.
They further reaffirmed their unequivocal support
for the territorial integrity and sovereignty of
Belize.
EXCHANGE OF VIEWS WITH SPECIAL GUESTS:
Brazil
Heads of Government welcomed the Minister of
External Relations of Brazil and reiterated their
appreciation of the strong ties between Brazil and
the Community.
They used the opportunity to express their
gratitude for the consistent and sterling support
and assistance rendered to Haiti by Brazil. The
Heads of Government and the Brazilian Foreign
Minister agreed on the need to respect Haiti’s
sovereignty as the efforts to rebuild the country
continued in the wake of the devastating earthquake
of 12 January 2010. They also expressed confidence
that the electoral process for the second round of
the Presidential and Parliamentary election would be
credible and would strengthen the emerging
democratic practices in Haiti.
Commonwealth Secretary-General
Heads of Government received, with appreciation,
the information provided by the Commonwealth
Secretary-General on matters related to the 2011
Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting to be held
in Perth, Australia on 28-30 October 2011. Heads of
Government also welcomed the partnership between the
Government of Trinidad and Tobago and the
Commonwealth Business Council (CBC) to stage the
Caribbean Investment Forum: “Building Global
Partnerships: The Commonwealth and the Americas”
on 13-14 June 2011 in Port-of-Spain.
ENDORSEMENT OF BRAZIL CANDIDACY FOR
DIRECTOR-GENERAL OF THE UNITED NATIONS FOOD AND
AGRICULTURE ORGANISATION
Heads of Government agreed to endorse the
candidature of Dr Jose Graziano Silva of Brazil for
the post of Director-General of the United Nations
Food and Agriculture Organisation.
MIDDLE EAST AND NORTH AFRICA
Heads of Government considered the situation in
the Middle East and North Africa and agreed to issue
the
attached statement.
SIGNINGS
The following agreements were signed at the
Twenty-Second Inter-Sessional Meeting:
Revised Agreement Establishing the
Caribbean Agricultural Health and Food Safety
Agency (CAHFSA):
• Signed on 25 February 2011 – The Bahamas,
Haiti, Saint Lucia, St Kitts and Nevis, Suriname
• Signed on 26 February 2011 – Grenada, Guyana
CAHFSA entered into force on 26 February
2011 with the signature of the Prime Minister of
Grenada (Seven signatures were required for
entry into force).
Amendment to Annex III of the Agreement
Relating to the Operation of the CARICOM
Development Fund (to provide for
preferential access by LDCs)
• Signed on 25 February 2011 – Saint Lucia, St
Kitts and Nevis, St Vincent and the Grenadines,
Suriname;
• Signed on 26 February 2011 - Antigua and
Barbuda, Grenada and Guyana
Amendment to the Agreement Establishing
the Caribbean Aviation Safety and Security
Oversight System (CASSOS)
• Signed on 25 February 2011 – Barbados
• Signed on 26 February 2011 – Grenada
Protocol Amending the CARICOM Agreement on
Social Security
• Signed on 25 February 2011 – Dominica, St
Kitts and Nevis
Agreement Establishing the Caribbean
Community Accreditation Agency for Education and
Training
• Signed on 25 February 2011 – Dominica, Saint
Lucia
DATE AND VENUE OF THE THIRTY-SECOND REGULAR
MEETING OF THE CONFERENCE (July 2011)
Heads of Government agreed to hold their
Thirty-Second Regular Meeting in St Kitts and Nevis
from 1-4 July 2011.
STATEMENT ON THE RECOVERY
AND RECONSTRUCTION OF HAITI
CARICOM Heads of State and Government recalled
that at their Meeting in July last year, they
bemoaned the lack of progress in the implementation
of the Haiti Action Plan and called on the
international donor community to make good on the
pledges and promises made to Haiti. This they saw as
critical for the Government of Haiti to begin to
provide durable shelter for the internally displaced
persons, remove the rubble and replace and augment
the institutional capacity of the Government to make
good on its responsibilities. They regretted that
eight months later, nothing has changed while the
second hurricane and rainy season since the
catastrophe is upon the people of Haiti.
They recognized that the Haitian Recovery Fund (HRF)
managed by the World Bank has no resources, the
projects being approved by the Interim Haiti
Recovery Commission (IHRC), admittedly important, do
not reflect the critical immediate priorities and
the implementation arrangements are uncertain.
However, the limited flow of resources pledged to
the HRF and the drastic shift to the bilateral
approach in the planning of the use of resources,
did not bode well for addressing the priorities laid
out by the Haitian Government in the Haiti Action
Plan in the longer term.
Reiterating their concern that present strategies
would not lead to significant progress nor
improvement in the reconstruction of Haiti and in
addressing the plight of the internally displaced,
by the end of the eighteen month period of the life
of the Commission, CARICOM Heads of State and
Government called upon the international community
to meet their commitments to Haiti in the manner
originally planned in order to make their
contributions more effective. They also called upon
the IHRC to review its working methods in order to
ensure that the priorities of the Haitian Government
are met with the urgency which their mandate
requires during the remainder of the life of the
Commission.
The Heads of State and Government renewed their
call to the international donor community to place
substantial funds in the HRF, synchronise their
bilateral activities with the priorities of the
Government and maintain the integrity of the
process, as was agreed at the Donor Conference in
the United Nations last March.
CARICOM Statement on the
Middle East and North
Africa
The Caribbean Community (CARICOM) observes, with
grave concern, the recent developments in the Middle
East and North Africa, which have been sparked by
the desire of the people of that Region for change.
The Community expresses deep regret at the loss of
life during the peaceful demonstrations.
The Caribbean Community promotes and encourages
the adherence to democratic principles, good
governance, the rule of law and the protection of
human rights. The Community reiterates its
endorsement of the principles enshrined in the
Charter of the United Nations and therefore condemns
the use of violence against people who are
protesting peacefully.
The deep desire of the people of that Region to
have greater political and economic involvement in
their countries’ future is evident through their
sustained peaceful protests. The Community calls for
an immediate end to the violence and looks forward
to a resolution of the situation through dialogue
and actions which would allow the free exercise of
the fundamental human rights by the people of that
Region.
