(CARICOM Secretariat, Turkeyen, Greater Georgetown, Guyana) Prime Minister of Jamaica, the Hon Bruce Golding, this morning, applauded the contributions of the former Secretary-General of the Caribbean Community Sir Edwin Carrington, at the opening ceremony of the 22nd Interssessional Meeting of CARICOM Heads of Government now being held in Grenada.

Prime Minister Golding described Sir Edwin’s tenure as the most significant and challenging period in the history of CARICOM, noting that the fact that there was still so much the Community had to do should not detract from what had been accomplished under Sir Edwin’s watch.

In enumerating some of those accomplishments Prime Minister Golding pointed to Sir Edwin’s role in guiding the revision of the Treaty of Chaguaramas; in the the establishment of the CARICOM Single Market and Economy (CSME) and the Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ) and in shaping the vital focus now being placed on regional security and its establishment as the fourth pillar of the Community.

He added that during Sir Edwin’s tenure the Community significantly expanded the areas of functional cooperation within the Community and undertook and advanced a number of far-reaching trade and development negotiations, some of which were successfully concluded, while others were still in train.

According to Mr Golding who is also the outgoing Chairman of CARICOM, The task of coordinating the activities and interaction of CARICOM Member States was a daunting one, “yet despite the naysayers, that so much was accomplished is a testament to his acumen, the strength of his leadership and his commitment to Caribbean integration.”

CONTACT: piu@caricom.org