Press release 93/2001
(5 July 2001)

Your Excellencies Sir Orville and Lady Turnquest;
Your Excellencies the Presidents of Dominican Republic, Haiti, Guyana, and Suriname;
Colleague Heads of Government;
Honourable Cabinet Ministers, Senators and
Members of Parliament;
Mr. Secretary General;
Mr. President and Justices of the Court of Appeal;
Madam Chief Justice and Justices of the Supreme Court;
Their Excellencies the Secretaries General of the Commonwealth, the Association of Caribbean States and the Director General of the Food and Agricultural Organization;
Your Excellencies, Members of the Diplomatic Corps;
Heads of Regional Organizations;
Reverend Clergy;
Mr. Secretary to the Cabinet and Senior Government Officials;
Other Distinguished Delegates;
Specially Invited Guests;
Ladies and Gentlemen:

Good Evening and Welcome.

It is a special pleasure for The Bahamas to welcome Heads of Government of the Caribbean Community and delegates attending the 22^nd Meeting of Conference of Heads of Government to Nassau. I trust that some, if not all of you, plan to enjoy a few holiday days as well.

I am pleased, further, to welcome the Premier of Bermuda, the Hon. Jennifer Smith, to this Conference, for the first time; and welcome to The Bahamas and to this Conference, the Hon. W. McKeeva Bush, Deputy Leader and Minister for Tourism, Environment and Transport, of the Cayman Islands.

Heads of Government last met in Conference in Nassau in July, 1993, less than a year following my Government's first election to office, and months after Heads received, in Trinidad and Tobago, the report of the Caribbean wise-men entitled, A Time for Action.

That seminal document has assisted our region towards the reorganization and redefinition of the Community's institutions to better respond to the needs of the Caribbean people in an increasingly globalized and competitive world economy.

Clearly, to remain relevant, CARICOM had to become a part of the national and regional response of its Member States to changed and changing global realities including:

-  the rapid move toward trade and investment liberalization;

-  the internationalization of production, as evidenced by the World Trade Organization(WTO) agreements;

-  the effective creation of the European Single Market (EU), the North American Free Trade Area (NAFTA) and the concept of a Free Trade Area of the Americas (FTAA); and

- the new technological revolution.

During this Conference CARICOM will enter a new stage in its development as it deliberates on issues such as the Single Market and Economy (SME), HIV/AIDS, challenges to the regional economy and drug trafficking.

The Single Market and Economy is a major factor in determining the future of our economic interaction, in and outside of the region. We recognize however, that we must address issues beyond the economy which are critical to the community?s well-being. These include health, social development, external community relations and support for democracy and democratic processes within the Region. This new phase must also proceed with the support and active involvement of the peoples of the Caribbean.

Colleague Heads, Ladies and Gentlemen: Faced with these realities, there is wisdom in our determination to enter the next critical stage of regional integration by inviting Members States to sign the integrated Protocols of the Treaty of Chaguramas.

These Protocols represent an advanced position in the evolution of our community - from the Caribbean Free Trade Area, (CARIFTA), to the Caribbean Community and Common Market, and now, the Single Market and Economy.

One of the most compelling forces driving integration within CARICOM has been the recognition that small economies, such as ours, cannot stand alone in the global economy. Together, and only together, can they withstand the vagaries of external shocks and the competition of open markets.

Indeed, some, if not most, CARICOM countries will find more challenges than opportunities in globalisation and trade liberalisation; hence, our united position at Quebec. We agreed that we would only be able to proceed with and remain in the FTAA initiative on the basis that cooperation will extend much beyond trade; and that, in the FTAA, there will be special transitional provisions to take account of our unique vulnerabilities as small service-based economies. In such an environment, the commitment of CARICOM States to higher levels of cooperation and integration is most appropriate, even imperative.

Colleague Heads: Haiti's full membership in the Community, to which Heads of Government have given their full support, is, and must continue to be, an issue commanding CARICOM?s attention. Haiti?s membership remains elusive, frustrated by persistent economic, social and political crises that prevent it from meeting the conditions agreed by Heads of Government for its full membership in the Community.

No other country within CARICOM is as acutely aware of the problems of Haiti as is my country. We regularly receive hundreds of souls who risk and sometimes lose their lives travelling on unseaworthy vessels bearing them north to The Bahamas and, sometimes, on to Florida. The solidarity of CARICOM and of the international community is urgently needed to address this human tragedy endured by the Haitian people. Critical to this is, of course, the commitment of all parties in the political process in Haiti, to work cooperatively to move Haiti beyond its paralysing political impasse. In support of such action, my Government has been pleased to offer accommodation in its diplomatic mission to the CARICOM office in Haiti. We expect that our CARICOM initiative, bolstered by combined CARICOM/OAS Missions such as that endorsed in Quebec, will assist in resolving the conflict in Haiti.

Ladies and Gentlemen: For our part, the special peculiarities of The Bahamian economy that have resulted in reservations about participation in the Common Market and, subsequently, the SME, are falling away. The Bahamas has participated actively in the FTAA process, and we are taking decisive steps to join our sister CARICOM states in the World Trade Organisation.

As some of you will be aware, we have in hand a commissioned study on the implications for The Bahamas of participation in the Single Market and Economy and my Government is considering that study.

If and when the time comes for The Bahamas to accept full or limited membership in the SME, it is my hope and desire and expectation that sister CARICOM states will consider the issue of The Bahamas'  membership in the SME with pragmatism, and in the context of the Bahamian reality.

For example, the 'free movement of people' aspect of the SME would have serious social and political implications for The Bahamas, given its unique position as the target for massive unregulated migration from many countries - not only in the Caribbean. This will have to be understood and respected by Member States. While The Bahamas' situation presents CARICOM with a challenge, we have no doubt, that an appropriate CARICOM solution will be found.

It is from this perspective that I lend my voice and that of my Government to the removal of institutional and infrastructural barriers within CARICOM, to allow for the freer flow of capital, goods and services and skills across a Single Market Economy, and to improve the region?s international competitiveness.

Ladies and Gentlemen: It is important that we acknowledge that the creation and success of the SME requires that a Caribbean Court of Justice be enabled to effectively exercise jurisdiction over matters arising from the SME, bringing certainty to the interpretation and application of the revised treaty and otherwise serve the interest of CARICOM states. Hence, it is essential that Members of the SME take the necessary steps to make the court operational in the shortest possible time, knowing that a SME without a Caribbean Court of Justice is not a realistic proposition.

Colleague Heads, Ladies and Gentlemen: You would be aware that The Bahamas, together with the Cayman Islands, has been removed by the FATF from its list of Non-Cooperative Countries and Territories (NCCT) regarding international initiatives to counter international money laundering. De-listing signals compliance with all forty of the recommendations of the FATF with regard to international counter money laundering activities and comes following important changes to our financial services sector.

While The Bahamas is pleased to be de-listed, several CARICOM States remain listed. The future of the sector in those countries therefore, remains clouded by a process that has been neither fair nor uniformally applied to all international financial services jurisdictions including some which hold membership in the FATF. The OECD has, admittedly, now responded to our negotiating position and has postponed the issuance of their adverse listing until November of this year and the implementation of sanctions in its "harmful tax" initiative until 2003. We must, nevertheless, continue to advocate our position calling for a level playing field in all international initiatives concerning the provision and delivery of international financial services whether emanating from the FATF, the OECD or the FSF.

Ladies and Gentlemen: Notwithstanding the focus we have brought to bear on the financial services sector, we must not lose sight of the need to maintain competitiveness in our tourism sector. It is no news to this body that the tourism industry has become the primary employer, the primary source of foreign exchange, and the economic area in which we, in the Caribbean, appear to have the most sustainable competitive advantage.

We are fortunate to have one of the world's most appealing names for vacationers - the Caribbean. The word conjures up images of sunshine, lush green mountains, cool refreshing rivers, tropical rain forests and, of course, some of the best sandy beaches and clearest, cleanest waters in the entire world.

Yet, when we examine our national and regional commitments to tourism we often find them wanting. Far more time is being spent on economic sectors that are in global decline than is spent on tourism, the world's largest and fastest growing industry. At this Meeting we should decide to arrest this deficiency and place tourism in its rightful place in the development of our nations.

Clearly, creating a viable and sustainable tourist industry is critical to the economic well being of all the states of the region. While this has been recognized and there exists Caribbean cooperation in tourism at some levels, it needs to be more focussed and intensified. We need to collaborate and cooperate on programmes in the areas of: product development, service standards improvement, marketing, eco-tourism and sustainable tourism. As a specific example, multiple Caribbean countries enter the same market place using expensive research contracts to uncover the same fundamental facts. Better coordination can rid us of this waste of resources which none of us can afford.

For the purposes of Caribbean Tourism, we need to think of the Caribbean Region as a single nation. Every study shows that warm weather vacationers are largely "destination collectors". No matter how much they enjoy an experience in one warm weather destination, vacationers yearn to explore another before returning to their prior experience. We must therefore cooperate to ensure that such vacationers do their exploring among Caribbean destinations.

Fortunately, at the instigation of my Brother Head of Government, the Hon. Kenny Anthony, we have determined to convene a Tourism Summit this year. As the Head of Government with lead responsibility for Tourism in CARICOM's Quasi Cabinet, I would urge all my colleague Heads to give their full support to the Tourism Summit, now rescheduled to take place in October, 2001, in The Bahamas. I look forward to welcoming all of you back to The Bahamas; to Freeport, Grand Bahama, and to Nassau, on that occasion.

The Tourism Summit will provide us an invaluable opportunity to work together with regional partners in tourism, including the Caribbean Hotel Association and the Caribbean Tourism Organisation. We shall undertake a critical re-appraisal of tourism, in the context of broader policies for economic and social development, and we should use the opportunity to brainstorm and to give new orientation and dynamism to the Region's tourism product.

Preparations for the Tourism Summit are well under way, and will no doubt benefit from the additional planning period.

Ladies and Gentlemen: Healthy CARICOM economies require healthy populations. I have, only one week ago, returned from the Special Session of the United Nations General Assembly on HIV/AIDS. We all know that the world is in the grips of an HIV/AIDS pandemic, and that the Caribbean has not been spared the vagaries of this dreaded disease. The statistics are staggering -  per capita, the Caribbean is second only to Africa as the worse affected region. The prognosis is self-evident; without requisite action, HIV/AIDS will extract even higher costs in terms of the Region's health and development prospects.

Thankfully, HIV/AIDS is now, finally, among those issues that have found a prominent place on the global agenda, and this is as it ought to be. The United Nations Special Session on HIV/AIDS has set a global agenda for slowing and reversing its destructive impact on countries and societies. It is an agenda in which the developed countries, and particularly their pharmaceutical companies, will have to play a critical role. Implementation of the courses of action agreed at the UN General Assembly Special Session is now essential, and requires due vigilance. CARICOM must be among those countries on the frontline in the fight against HIV/AIDS.

The successful implementation of the Caribbean Action Plan to Combat HIV/AIDS will play a crucial role in the future economic and social development of our region. We cannot hope to progress, in that regard, if our productive sector, which generates the ideas and vision for development, is decimated by HIV/AIDS. Our Pan-Caribbean Partnership, officially launched in Barbados in February of this year, should also help to address the HIV/AIDS issue from a wider Caribbean perspective.

Ladies and Gentlemen: I wish also to draw attention to the continuing need for cooperation and collaboration among CARICOM member states in the continuing fight against illicit drug trafficking which seriously threatens the continued economic, social and political stability of Member States.

Few challenges to the Governments and people of the CARICOM region have been as serious and persistent as the illicit traffic in narcotic drugs. For more than three decades, now, it has bred crime and corruption, heightened insecurity and fear in our communities and destabilised our societies and countries. The years have brought dramatic changes in the nefarious trade, the most disturbing of which are the emergence of organized crime networks among our own citizens, and the development of links between the illicit drug traffic and the illegal traffic in arms.

We must, as a Region, intensify our efforts to break the vicious cycle of trafficking, addiction, corruption and violent crime, to which we have been subjected by the drug trafficking networks, at times, seemingly with impunity. There must not, and cannot be safe havens for drug traffickers in our region. To that end, our anti-drug programmes must be reinforced for greater impact, particularly with respect to air and maritime smuggling. Our law enforcement co-operation and partnerships must be made more effective; we must be fully committed to implementation of the United Nations international drug control treaties, and to the hemispheric anti-drug programmes of the OAS Inter-American Drug Control Commission (CICAD).

Importantly, we must, through education and awareness raising, ensure that our people know of the dangers of drug abuse, and we must simultaneously promote healthy lifestyles and choices.

Colleague Heads,  Ladies and Gentlemen: It is a singular honour for me during the last year of my second term in Office to serve for a second time as Chairman of the Conference of Heads of Government of the Caribbean Community, a singular feat, I believe, among those gathered here today. I am especially pleased that I am afforded this opportunity at the close of my term of Office as Prime Minister of my country and to be the instrument through which closer, more effective relations will be forged between my country, The Bahamas, and our sister regional states in the Caribbean Community.

In closing, I wish to emphasize the great pleasure it is for me, for my Government and for the Bahamian people to serve as host to CARICOM Heads of Government at this fertile period in our history of regional integration. It is my hope that the importance and seriousness of our agenda will not prevent each of you from taking the time to enjoy a little of what we like to offer our visitors, and our visiting friends.