Hon McKeeva Bush Leader of Government Business of the Cayman Islands, Hon. George McCarthy, Financial Secretary, Portfolio of Finance and Economic Development, Cayman Islands and Chairman of the Board of Governors of the Caribbean Development Bank,
Distinguished Governors of the Bank,
President Dr. Compton Bourne,
Vice-Presidents, Directors and Staff of the CDB,
Ladies and Gentlemen:

This is a very special occasion indeed, for the Caribbean Community.

Mr Chairman, Mr President, please accept our warmest appreciation for affording the Caribbean Community and the Government of the Cayman Islands the opportunity of conducting this short but very significant ceremony at this time. Bringing new Members and Associate Members into the Caribbean Community family is always special.

It is doubly significant that this ceremony should take place at the Opening Ceremony of the Annual Meeting of the Board of Governors of the Caribbean Development Bank since the Cayman Islands will, until its signature in a few moments, be the only Borrowing Member of the Caribbean Development Bank that is not a Member or Associate Member of the Community. In a real sense, therefore, the Cayman Islands accession to Associate Membership in the Community will complete the circle of membership of the Community and the Bank.

At the July 2001 Meeting of the Conference of Heads of Government of the Caribbean Community in the Bahamas, the Cayman Islands indicated that it wished to join the Caribbean Community as an Associate Member. The response was entirely positive and the Cayman Islands Administration was invited to proceed with the necessary formalities and to make its formal application at the earliest opportunity. In February of this year, at the Intersessional Meeting of the Conference in Belize , the Cayman Islands made its formal application for Associate Membership and it was approved by acclaim.

Today we are here to witness the signing by the Leader of Government Business the legal instrument by which the Cayman Islands becomes an Associate Member of the Caribbean Community joining the British Virgin Islands, the Turks and Caicos Islands and Anguilla as Associate Members.

As an Associate Member of the Community, the Cayman Islands will sit at the table with full Members of the Community at all meetings of the Conference of Heads of Government and participate in programmes of cooperation and collaboration within the Community – particularly those programmes in the areas of functional cooperation.

We look forward to the regular presence of the Cayman Islands at Community Meetings and, in particular, to welcoming the Leader of Government Business to the upcoming Meeting of the Conference of Heads of Government which will take place in Guyana on July 2 – 5, 2002. We shall take great pleasure in inviting you, sir, to take your rightful seat at the table on that occasion.

It is therefore with anticipation of your presence and participation in the Community matters that I undertake this pleasant duty of inviting the Leader of Government Business of the Cayman Islands to sign this instrument of accession by the Cayman Islands to Associate Membership of the Caribbean Community.