Mr.
Secretary-General, Honourable Ministers,
Other Distinguished Heads of Delegations of Member States and Regional
Organisations, Officials, Members of the Media, Ladies and Gentlemen.
Welcome to the
Fourteenth Ministerial Meeting of the Council for Trade and Economic Development
(COTED). I am most pleased to be with you for this crucial Meeting. It is good
to be back in the fold, among my regional siblings.
The Agenda before
us for the next two days indicates that there is a great deal of work to be done
if we are to create an economic environment in which the livelihood of our
people can be assured.All items
for discussion will impact on the economic well-being of our people . This list
is long but not exhaustive, given the many challenges confronting the Region.
However, let us not add to the list of Agenda Items but rather focus on those
issues and policies that will re-ignite our economic machinery and keep us
afloat in the new international economic environment. In particular, we need to
introduce affirmative policies that will spark innovation and lead to more
diversified economies.
The economic
indicators for our Region, and might I add worldwide, are moving in the wrong
direction and we must do more to foster creativity and innovation in our
economies to reduce poverty, improve health and education and, particularly,
address our food security.
Honourable
Ministers, we meet at a critical moment in world events and following on the
World Economic Forum that has just been completed in Davos, Switzerland. Once
again, the real concerns of small Caribbean States have been sidelined. In fact,
we were not even recognised as part of the world economic system. We meet at a
time when there is a real threat of war forcing steep increases in oil prices,
discouraging international travel and paralysing our tourist industry. You will
read all about it in news papers and hear it on television broadcasts.
The case could
never be clearer for greater efficiency and effectiveness in the use of our
meager resources. In this current economic environment, we need to develop a new
policy framework to guide national economic development efforts for the future
in enhancing productivity, expandingfree
enterprise and trade, increasing private sector involvement and investment and
provide sustainable economic development in our rural communities and cities.
Our Heads of Government,
when they met in Special Session in Saint Lucia in August last year, determined
that we needed a framework to stabilise and transform our regional economies.
We, as the Ministers responsible for Economic Development, bear a heavy
responsibility for giving effect to any such framework.
Our key challenges
in the year ahead are to:
At the end of the
day there must be some measurable achievements and objectives for the future. We
are fortunate that our leaders 30years ago recognised that we can only meet the
internal and external challenges through cooperation. Our agenda reflects the
range of issues, their inter-relatedness and complexities and the urgency for
action. They are, however, challenges.They
are not beyond our combined ingenuity.
With these few
words, Secretary-General, Colleague Ministers, I want to assure you that
Montserrat, which has been challenged by both natural and economic factors, will
do its part as a member of the Caribbean Community to ensure the economic
survival of our people.
Thank you.
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