Friends,
Caribbean Partners,
Presenters - Professor Nettleford and Dr. John Agard, Dr. Michael Witter and Dr. Hilary Brown,
Ladies and gentlemen.

As Secretary-General of the Caribbean Community and of the Caribbean Forum of ACP States it gives me immense pleasure to extend a warm welcome to you all on this beautiful "Caribbean" morning in Mauritius. This morning it is the intention of the Caribbean to engage you in what I am sure will be a lively discussion on a Caribbean Partnership event dealing with Vulnerability and Cultural Resilience in the Caribbean. I need not delay you in making the case for the role of culture in development. Indeed, culture is not only the framework within which the socio-economic development of our societies can be successfully pursued, it is the effective tool for doing so sustainably.

Ladies and gentlemen, it is no secret that the Caribbean, though in relative terms a very small corner of the world, is known and respected for its cultural contribution to the world. Its music, its literature, its sport, its art, its cuisine, its cosmopolitanism, its craft, its fascinating religions like Rastafarianism are all contributions to world culture emanating from this near microscopic corner of the world. It is equally recognized in the Region that as we move to establish a CARICOM Single Market and Economy, culture is central to our economic and social development efforts. This can be seen from the place it occupies in the Charter of Civil Society, which instrument is enshrined in the Revised Treaty of Chaguaramas, establishing the Community including the CARICOM Single Market and Economy.

Caribbean Small Island Developing States faced with serious vulnerabilities recognize the potential of our culture to reduce their susceptibility to external shocks and to build their resilience to the dramatic changes and powerful intrusions of the current world economy and society. Indispensable to the building of this resilience is the forging of partnerships among the Caribbean peoples themselves both those at home as well as in the Diaspora. And this, even as we strike useful alliances with the rest of the world.

Today's partnership event will highlight some of the vulnerabilities of Caribbean SIDS and will discuss ways - interventions, programmes and projects in culture - of addressing some of the challenges they represent.

To lead us in those discussions we are fortunate to have as featured speaker Professor the Honourable Rex Nettleford, Vice Chancellor Emeritus of the University of the West Indies - Caribbean and international cultural icon and scholar. Also making presentations will be Dr. Michael Witter, Senior Lecturer University of the West Indies, Mona and Dr. John Agard, Deputy Dean Graduate Studies and Research University of the West Indies, St. Augustine campus in Trinidad. Dr. Hilary Brown of the CARICOM Secretariat will make a presentation of partnership proposals.

I therefore welcome you to this event, confident that you will be enlightened and hopefully moved to positive action that will redound to the benefit of our societies, our economies and most importantly to social and economic development of our people.