Prime Minister of the Republic of Haiti, the Honourable Jacques Edouard Alexis
Senator the Honourable Tyrone Barker, Representative of the Chairman of the Conference of Heads of Government of the Caribbean Community
Honourable Ministers of the Haitian Cabinet
Honourable Ministers and other Heads of Delegation of CARIFORUM Member States
Deputy Secretary-General, Ambassador Lolita Applewhaite
Members of the Diplomatic Corps
Mr. Denis Robert, Representative of the Canadian Ambassador to Haiti
Heads of Regional and International Organisations
Director-Designate of the Caribbean Community Representation Office in Haiti and other staff of the Secretariat
Representatives of Haiti's Private Sector
Representatives of NGOs
Representatives of Political Parties
Representatives of the Media
Friends All

Welcome to this simple but highly significant ceremony – the re-opening of the CARICOM Representation Office in Haiti. Yesterday, at the Opening of the Fifteenth CARIFORUM Ministerial Meeting – the first to be held in Haiti – I said “Emerging this week from Haiti … is a new message to the world – a message of the reaffirmation of Haiti’s historical primacy in the Caribbean – a message of its future in the Caribbean - a future which through its increasing stability portends great promise”. I then predicted that that message “will serve as a beacon to CARIFORUM and to CARICOM as the latter reopens its Representation Office here in Port-Au-Prince, tomorrow”. Today’s ceremony and what it portends follows in the wake of that prediction.

The establishment of the CARICOM Representation Office in Haiti (here at Rue Mercier 22, Delmas 60) responds not only to the relative lateness of Haiti’s entry into CARICOM but equally speaks to the critical importance CARICOM attaches to ensuring the effective participation by Haiti in the Community. It is therefore, more than an outreach. It is a point from which the entire Community hopes to draw great historical significance.

It would also, of course, be a crucial operational nexus through which Haiti’s effective participation in the Community’s activities – the CARICOM Single Market and Economy (CSME), Functional Cooperation, security initiatives etc - shall all be facilitated. Most importantly, however, it will hopefully facilitate the co-mingling of the peoples of Haiti with their brothers and sisters of the Caribbean, in other words, promote the true meaning of Community.

The good news for Haiti and the Community in this regard is that Haiti’s Parliament has recently passed the necessary instruments of ratification of the Revised Treaty of Chaguaramas, which now paves the way for Haiti’s participation in CARICOM’s current flagship activity - the Single Market and Economy (CSME). It is a most welcome sign of Haiti’s determination to take its rightful place within the Community.

It is that spirit of oneness which heightened my sense of sadness when I learnt on my arrival on Tuesday of the loss of life and property suffered in Haiti only last week due to floods. The head of the Caribbean Disaster Emergency Response Agency (CDERA), Mr. Jeremy Collymore, who happened to be in Haiti this week participating in the CARIFORUM Ministerial Meeting which ended today, informed me that although Haiti is not yet a member of CDERA, his Organisation would assist Haiti in whatever way it could.

I am pleased to say that he has been in discussion with the relevant Haitian authorities regarding what can be done to assist. These discussions centre around the urgent provision of financial resources contributed earlier by the Governments of CARICOM for such events ,as well as for their mitigation. This swift response is a sure guide to and sign of how well the integration and co-operation process can work.

The facilitation of developments like this would be one of the tasks of the CARICOM Representation Office here in Haiti which will be led by a Director, Ambassador Earl Huntley who is here today. He will soon assume his official duties. Ambassador Huntley, a national of Saint Lucia, is a vastly experienced diplomat and administrator, a former Permanent Representative of his country to the United Nations, former Ambassador to the Caribbean Community and former head of Saint Lucia’s Foreign Service.

I ask that you welcome him to Haiti and provide him with all requisite support. Ambassador Huntley will be working closely with the Bureau de Suivi which is led by Madame Marie Michele Rey who is no stranger to the Caribbean Community. I would like to place on record the Secretariat’s appreciation for the assistance rendered by Madame Rey and the Bureau de Suivi in getting this building ready for tonight’s opening and for occupation.

The Caribbean Community also wishes to extend its deep appreciation to the Government and People of Canada for supporting the Haiti CSME Programme, including the establishment and operation of this Office through the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA). Present with us today is Mr. Denis Robert of the Canadian Embassy in Haiti who will shortly address this ceremony.

The Community also expresses its gratitude to The Bahamas, whose Embassy hosted the earlier Representation Office. On behalf of the Community I want to thank Ambassador Newry and his staff and country for that tangible expression of true community spirit. Finally it would be remiss of me if I also did not thank the Kingdom of Norway for the assistance it rendered to the Community in respect of the first establishment of the Representation Office.

Honourable Prime Minister, distinguished Ministers, honoured guests, ladies and gentlemen, the re-opening of this CARICOM Representation Office takes place at a time of relative stability in Haiti due in no small measure to the leadership of His Excellency President René Préval and his Government. The people of Haiti must no doubt appreciate this period of their existence as such stability can lead to enhanced economic prospects. There must be no turning back.

A very important contributing factor in this process has been the role played by the United Nations Stabilisation Mission in Haiti (MINUSTAH) which as its name implies has underpinned that stability and provided a greater sense of security for the people of Haiti. The Caribbean Community is grateful for that contribution and moreover is particularly pleased that on Monday of this week, the United Nations Security Council unanimously agreed to extend MINUSTAH’s mandate for a further year.

Honourable Prime Minister, Ministers, ladies and gentlemen, in closing, I think I speak for all of us who have spent the week here in Haiti, when I say that if the spirit of togetherness and co-operation enjoyed during our CARIFORUM Ministerial Meeting is an indication of what this Representation Office can help to sustain, then Haiti’s future development and role in Community will be greatly enhanced. I wish Ambassador Huntley and his staff all success in their monumental and defining mission.

I thank you.