Good day! (Good Jamaica Day!)

It is with great pleasure that as Secretary-General of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM), I welcome you all this function, and particularly to you, Excellency, to the home of the CARICOM Secretariat. It gives me even greater pleasure, that the occasion of your visit is highlighted by the fact that, today, will mark the third occasion that I will be receiving Letters of Accreditation from a Plenipotentiary Representative of the Republic of Chile to the Caribbean Community.

Chile’s sound policies, commitment to human resource development and improvement of its infrastructure have all helped to position your country as one of the more advanced economies within the Latin American Region. Indeed, your country is one which can be held up as a model for sustainable growth and development not only for

other Latin American countries, but also for us in CARICOM. You have certainly had your challenges but you have managed to overcome them successfully. As your country prepares to celebrate 198 years of independence this September, your President, Her Excellency President Michelle Bachelet Jeria and indeed all Chileans can be proud of your country’s many achievements.

Those achievements include the first Latin American winner of the Nobel Prize for Literature, the poet, Gabriela Mistral and another probably more well-known poet who also won the Nobel Prize, Pablo Neruda. A group of Chilean economists pioneered a school of thought in the 1970s which transformed the country’s economy and heavily influenced economic development in other parts of Latin America.

On a personal note, I had the good fortune to study the works and to make contact with one of the celebrated Chilean economists, Osvaldo Sunkel. He was a member of the so-called Structuralist School of Economics, which played a significant role in the growth of modern development economics.

Your Excellency, we in the Caribbean Community acknowledge thirteen years of strong relations and cooperation with the Republic of Chile and I wish to take this opportunity to express our appreciation for the technical support which your country has offered to the Community over those thirteen years.

The signing of an Agreement on Scientific and Technical Cooperation between CARICOM and the Government of the Republic of Chile, in 1996, paved the way for a fruitful relationship in the area of technical cooperation. To date, Chile’s technical assistance has primarily taken the form of training courses in Natural Resources; Agriculture; Health and Nutrition; International Negotiations with Diplomatic Training; and Foreign Language Training for High School Teachers in collaboration with the University of the West Indies. These courses have all been well received and have been of tremendous benefit to the Region in building its capacity in these areas.

The CARICOM-Chile Joint Commission, also established in 1996, laid the foundation for the deepening of CARICOM-Chile Relations. Although the Joint Commission has not been able to hold as many regular meetings as we would have expected, CARICOM remains hopeful that these difficulties will be overcome in the very near future and we look forward to more regular Meetings of this important Body.

The Region is also grateful for the political support it has received from the Government of Chile, with respect to activities in international fora, particulalry the Organisation of American States and the United Nations. In 2002, draft resolution A/57/L.26 entitled "Cooperation Between the United Nations and the Caribbean Community" was introduced for the consideration of the United Nations General Assembly.

The resolution’s preamble drew attention to two initiatives, first – the importance of the adoption of an integrated management approach to the Caribbean Sea, in the context of sustainable development and second, the necessity for the implementation of the Barbados Programme of Action on Small Island Developing States (SIDS). I am pleased to say that that draft resolution enjoyed the co-sponsorship of Chile. Four years later, at the 61st Session of the UN General Assembly, draft resolution entitled "Towards the Sustainable Development of the Caribbean Sea for Present and Future Generations" was adopted by consensus, throughout the entire General Assembly. CARICOM sincerely thanks the Government of Chile for its role in facilitating this consensus.

Chile also has benefited from this close relationship with our Community. Most notably, CARICOM led the way in supporting His Excellency Jose Miguel Insulza as the successful candidate for the post of Secretary-General of the Organisation of American States (OAS), the elections for which were held in 2005.

Your Excellency, I note that you have served in your country’s foreign service for more than twenty-five years, in all corners of the world, including Argentina, Bolivia, Colombia, Kenya, the United States and even as far away as New Zealand. You are a man of the world; a man for all seasons, and we welcome the level of expertise you bring to our Region. We are confident that your vast and varied experience in different regions of the world will assist in your understanding of the peculiarities and special needs of the CARICOM Region and will result in the further enhancement of relations between Chile and the Caribbean Community.

Ambassador Zepeda, I wish you every success during your new appointment as Chile’s Plenipotentiary Representative to the Caribbean Community and I look forward to working with you, as we collaborate to further strengthen this important and historic relationship.

THANK YOU!

CONTACT: piu@caricom.org