It is my pleasure to address you at the Opening Ceremony of the Thirty-First Regular Meeting of CARICOM Heads of Government and a further privilege to be doing so here in Montego Bay, the tourism capital of Jamaica.

APPRECIATION TO THE HOST

I would like to begin by expressing appreciation to our hosts, Prime Minister Golding and the Government of Jamaica for the warmth of the welcome extended to us and the superb arrangements that are so evident for this the Thirty-First Meeting of the Conference of Heads of Government of the Caribbean Community.

COMMITMENT TO HELPING HAITI

President Preval, since this is my first occasion to be in your presence since the tragedy which befell your nation on January 12th of this year please allow me to extend deep sympathy to the government and people of Haiti and to recommit the efforts of Trinidad and Tobago in assisting the recovery of your nation.

The fortitude, dignity and resilience demonstrated by the people of our sister isle state of Haiti in the wake of this terrible event have won profound respect.

MY TIME IN JAMIACA AND BARBADOS

As some of you may know Jamaica was once my home for some fourteen years.  I studied here, fell in love here, taught here and attended my first political meeting right here in Jamaica.  So in a sense one can say that Jamaica helped prepare me in becoming Prime Minister of Trinidad and Tobago. I guess if my political opponents knew this would occur they would have done everything in their power to ensure I stayed right here.

May I add that I also spent a few years in Barbados as well, in fact, my son is Barbadian born.

And I believe such experiences help to sharpen an understanding of that unique Caribbean identity and perspective.

During those early periods of my life I never dreamt I would be one day addressing such an esteemed group of Caribbean leaders at all much less as Prime Minister of my nation.

But I guess one can never underestimate the education of a Caribbean experience, especially that of a woman who encounters it.

CHANGE IN TRINIDAD AND TOBAGO, CARIBBEAN AND AROUND THE WORLD

This Conference is being hosted by the Government of Jamaica against the backdrop of change in the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago as well as within and outside the Region.

Trinidad and Tobago now joins many other States which have experienced administrative changes in the very recent past, namely, the United States, the United Kingdom and Suriname in contributing new perspectives and approaches to the issue of governance.

Mr. Chairman, the change in Government which occurred in Trinidad and Tobago will lead to certain shifts in the policy direction of my country.

However, I wish to assure you that Trinidad and Tobago’s posture in relation to the Caribbean Community remains unchanged.

TRINIDAD AND TOBAGO GOVERNMENT COMMITED TO REGIONAL INTEGRATION

My Government stands committed to the ideals of widening and deepening of the regional integration process within the Caribbean Community.

My Government, in its pursuit to strengthen and deepen the relationship within the Community has appointed His Excellency Makandal Daaga as CARICOM’s Cultural Ambassador Extraordinaire.

Thirty-Seven years ago today in Trinidad and Tobago, the Caribbean Community and Common Market (CARICOM) came into existence with the signing of the Treaty of Chaguaramas by Trinidad and Tobago, Barbados, Guyana and Jamaica.

This bold step towards closer regional economic integration, functional cooperation and the coordination of foreign policy represented a catalyst for a viable economic Community symbolizing hope for an improved quality of life for all in the Region. Since then the Caribbean Community, like any other institution, has been forced to confront enormous obstacles and weather prolonged periods of major crises.

Notwithstanding, the Community has managed to endure and sustain progress with the same spirit of resilience and resolution which was manifested in its infancy. We have also progressed economically as a Community to a degree where it can be safely said that there has been some reduction in poverty, however, we need to do much more. Poverty threatens human development, our children and our future. We must work harder to reduce poverty throughout the Community so that all our people can enjoy a higher standard of living.

We have also done well in the pursuit of functional cooperation in several important sectors such as education, health, security, our response to natural disasters, development financing and the environment and have built regional institutional infrastructure to facilitate these sectors. We must do better especially with respect to preparation for natural disasters and the health of our people.

DEMOCRACY YET WE ARE UNIFIED

Democracy prevails throughout our Region as many freedoms which our people enjoy are firmly entrenched in our individual constitutions, as well as in many regional and international instruments, and other nations see our Caribbean society as a model of peace and social stability. In our relations with the rest of the world, we have been able to speak with one voice on matters of common interest and concern.

In the process, we have enhanced not only our collective influence in decision making but also our image as proud and independent members of the family of nations.

Many of our citizens have been acclaimed around the world in all spheres of activity from sports to literature.

And may I take this opportunity to congratulate one of our CARICOM Heads of State, the President of Guyana, His Excellency Bharrat Jagdeo for being honoured by the United Nations with one of its highest awards for his work in the area of the environment, specifically Guyana’s unique low carbon emission programme.

The award, called the Champion of the Earth, is a demonstration of our ability to create breakthrough ideas which the world can embrace.

In this regard may I say we have launched our own CBT&T Clean Up and Beautify Initiative in Trinidad and Tobago which is perhaps the largest collaborative effort between government and the private sector ever introduced. It involves not only the massive deployment of machinery and manpower to clear and clean our waterways and landscape but the introduction of tough Anti-Littering legislation imposed by a cadre of litter wardens. This combined with an on-going education programme is intended to created a sustained transformation of the Trinidad and Tobago environment. I long for the day when I can learn of a pan-Caribbean approach within a specific initiative in dealing with environmental issues.

The Petroleum Fund

And this brings me to the point of the Petroleum Fund which my nation proudly contributes towards for the benefit of the region. May I say that the new Trinidad and Tobago government is firmly committed to sustaining and strengthening its commitment but I must express my concerns. I believe there needs to be greater accountability to how the funds are being used so that the resources spent are allocated in accordance with what are the most urgent areas of need in our region. And may I please be permitted to suggest some of these areas.

The first is the environment. It is ironic that for islands so dependent upon our natural environment that so little attention is paid to the development of a sustained regional initiative in this area.

The second area in which these funds can be allocated is one very dear to me. And that is Education. We are sadly and rapidly losing our competitiveness here. And when we lose our competitiveness in education, we lose our future. And so I wish to put on the table an initiative regarding Education for our region. This is the cornerstone for any kind of development which we hope to see take place over time. And I speak about education in the broadest sense here. We have to develop an education programme that addresses the critical issues involving what is happening to our young people today. Across the Caribbean we are losing a generation to drugs, violence and prostitution. Again, I urge that we explore ways and means of dealing with this issue from a regional perspective.

And what can be of greater importance than the plight of children. In Trinidad and Tobago one of my party’s campaign pledges which is being put in place now that we have formed the government is the establishment of a Children’s Life Fund of TT 100 million dollars. The Fund will be supported by government and the private sector and used to assist underprivileged children who are in need of urgent medical attention. Why can’t the Petroleum Fund be used for a similar purpose? Why not have a Caribbean Children’s Life Fund?

I am sure the citizens of every one of our Caribbean territories would welcome such an initiative so that children in urgent need of medical attention can access it. Imagine what it means to a parent to be told their child is going to die because the medical attention required cannot be accessed due to lack of funds. I can think of no better way to utilise the resources of the Petroleum Fund. And again I urge that we explore this initiative. The plight of women in our region who remain exploited and disadvantaged, single parents, child advocacy causes, these are some of the other areas in which I believe CARICOM has been too silent for far too long or is it that we just speak about it but achieve too little by way of implementation of policies that make a difference? What is being done to promote parenting, one that is not mother centred but parent centred where the father plays a greater role. This is an issue across our region. It is time to come away from meetings such as this with result oriented programmes on critical issues that determine the future of our region such as these.

CARICOM’S 37TH YEAR OF EXISTENCE AND MODERN CHALLENGES

As the Caribbean Community approaches its thirty-seventh year of existence, it finds itself confronted by new critical challenges that call for urgent responses.

Most of these challenges arise from the impact of globalization on the world economy.

They include an expanding WTO regime devoid of provisions for development targeted by the Doha Round of negotiations; geo-political fragmentation in the investment and trade systems of the Americas; increasing threats to national and regional security owing largely to drug trafficking in the Region; escalating prices for imported energy products; growing threats to food security because of shortages and inflationary prices; impending regional loss of coastal territory owing to the global impact of climate change; irreparable degradation of the Caribbean eco-systems owing to the absence of a regional regime to regulate their use and exploitation; fierce competition among developing countries for the limited sources of investment capital; and the spread of communicable and non-communicable diseases in certain areas of the CARICOM sub-region.

The time has come for us to re-examine whether the dynamism and versatility of the external environment has impacted on our ability to chart a clear and consolidated pathway to regional development.

Today the Caribbean Community should guard against taking a backward step in addressing the issue of an adequate institutional structure to implement the idea of “CARICOM as A Community for All”.

BEING LEAD PM WITH RESPONSIBILITY FOR CRIME AND SECURITY

Mr. Chairman, in my capacity as the Lead CARICOM Prime Minister with responsibility for matters relating to Crime and Security in the Quasi Cabinet, I wish to state that it is imperative that all Member States participate fully in the efforts to strengthen the peace and security of the Region. In the Caribbean, guaranteeing public safety cannot be confined to military and police action.

The dimensions of criminal activity are increasingly associated with human trafficking, repatriation of deportees, money laundering, the trade of illicit drugs and firearms and other forms of organised crime and terrorism.

Trinidad and Tobago is committed to bolstering the security of the Region as it is one of the cornerstones which must be strengthened to ensure that the foundation for the collective prosperity of our Region remains solid.

To all in our region, it is patently clear that the security challenge continues to threaten our development initiatives. We are called upon to always refine our framework and strategy, to work out the details and focus more of our attention and resources on destroying this enemy of our progress.

We must do no less. If we collaborate closely enough in this effort, we may well be able to eradicate this scourge and free our future generations to proceed unhindered, along their charted course of development. Mr Chairman, I have noted with interest the wide range of issues which constitute our Agenda for this Thirty-First Meeting of the Conference.

CONCLUSION

I look forward to our discussions over the next few days with my colleagues Heads of Government, all of whom is endowed with the vision, courage, sagacity, and political astuteness to bring to reality the vision the founding fathers had for our Region.

I feel confident that as we share our expertise we will move our fellow citizens on the path of economic sustainability and social mobility.

I wish to extend my heartfelt appreciation, and that of the rest of my delegation to the Government and people of Jamaica for the kind hospitality we have enjoyed since our arrival. It is as I always remember it to be, warmly, sincerely Jamaican.

Mr. Chairman, Ladies and Gentlemen, I thank you.