Your Excellency Ricardo Villanueva Hallal, Plenipotentiary Representative of the United Mexican States to the Caribbean Community (CARICOM
Members of Staff of the CARICOM Secretariat
Other Distinguished Ladies and Gentlemen
Representatives of the Media.

On behalf of His Excellency Edwin W. Carrington, CARICOM Secretary-General, I welcome you to the Caribbean Community Secretariat.

The Caribbean Community has enjoyed a history of fruitful interaction with Mexico. Almost as a matter of tradition, Presidents of Mexico have visited the Region, and CARICOM leaders have reciprocated with visits to Mexico. Most recently, in June 2007, President Felipe Calderon paid a State Visit to Belize where both Heads of Government discussed the status of their bilateral relations and re-committed themselves to multilateralism.

Our close relations date back to 1970 when they were formally established during the administration of then President Luis Echeverria. Excellency, you may be aware that Mexico was the first country to establish a Joint Commission with the countries of the Caribbean Community. This was done in 1974 with the signing of the Agreement establishing the CARICOM-Mexico Joint Commission.

Today, the Joint Commission is the main mechanism for CARICOM-Mexico cooperation at the regional level. Through the Joint Commission, CARICOM has benefited from projects which have resulted in the strengthening of regional institutions, the enhancement of human resource development, and the fostering of new research and development areas within the Region. We now look forward to the implementation of Phase IV of the CARICOM-Mexico Technical Cooperation Programme which is expected to be executed shortly, and to the Fifth Meeting of the CARICOM-Mexico Joint Commission later this year.

Excellency, the value your country places on multilateralism and international cooperation is evident in its membership of international organisations. As a founding member of the United Nations, the Government of Mexico participates actively in the work of the organs of the UN System and, on several occasions, has taken a leadership role within the GRULAC, the Grouping of Latin America and Caribbean Countries. Mexico’s active role within the UN System in the spheres of Security, Climate Change and the Millennium Development Goals also resonate within the Caribbean Community.

The world we live in today is interconnected and interdependent in providing security from transnational crime. Knowing that there are neighbours within the Region such as Mexico, who are committed to working multilaterally to mitigate and prevent transnational crime, is an invaluable assurance.

In this vein, CARICOM lauds the active participation of your Government in the drafting of the Convention against Transnational Organised Crime and its complementary protocols such as the protocol on trafficking in persons; smuggling of migrants by land, sea and air, and the illicit manufacture of, and traffic in firearms. This has positive implications for the safety and security of both our peoples.

Another area of common interest and relevance is Climate Change. The anticipated impacts of Climate Change threaten the Small Island developing States and Low-Lying Coastal States of CARICOM, and even though CARICOM Member States contribute the least to emissions linked to it, they are potentially, the most affected by this global phenomenon.

The commitment by countries at the Thirteenth Conference of the Parties of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change held in Bali, Indonesia in December 2007, to take an active part in the efforts to develop a the Bali Action Plan for a future international agreement on enhanced global action to deal with climate change in the period after 2012, is vital to the sustainability of the Community. The Community is pleased to note that Mexico supports the adoption of the Bali Action Plan.

Excellency, the contribution of your Government in the areas of regional and global cooperation is outstanding and commendable. Mexico continues to make available, scholarships to the Community, thus contributing to building the Region’s capacity, which is a necessary component for the development of our Region.

At the level of representation, undoubtedly, the wealth of experience you bring from your sojourns in Latin America, Asia, Europe and the Middle East will, in no small way, contribute to the further strengthening of our relations. We look forward to working with you.

In conclusion, Excellency, please convey the best wishes of the Secretary-General of the Caribbean Community to the Government and People of the United Mexican States.

CONTACT: piu@caricom.org