NEW YORK, May 19, 2008 --- The Caribbean Community (CARICOM) Consular Corps of New York announces the arrival of "The New York
Conference on the Caribbean Community: A 20/20 Vision Continued," an
historic and prestigious summit that will examine the growth and development of the Caribbean Community from a regional perspective. The Conference will be held June 19-20, 2008 in New York City and will feature Heads of State and Government from fourteen Member States and Overseas Territories of CARICOM, policy makers, members of International Organizations and Financial Agencies, the academic community and the private sector.

The two-day summit will include trade presentations, roundtable discussions and meetings on such core issues as trade, investment, education and the Diaspora's role in regional development. During the Conference the Heads of Government of CARICOM will meet with Congressman Charles Rangel, New York Governor David Paterson, New York City Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg and other elected officials.

"The CARICOM Government Heads and Consular Corps of New York are
delighted to bring this unprecedented conference to New York to reinforce
and capitalize on the relations between the Caribbean and New York, which
serves as the financial center of the world and residence to a large group
of the Caribbean Diaspora," Consul General of Antigua and Barbuda and
Chairman of the New Conference on the Caribbean Community, McChesney
Emanuel said. "Through this conference, we hope to once again direct the
attention of the people of the United States -- one of the Caribbean's
major trading partners and the home of the largest number of migrants from
the region -- to the future of the Caribbean and its peoples."


Key Conference Highlights:

-- Education Symposium: The CARICOM Consular Corps of New York City and Medgar Evers College, CUNY jointly present this event, which will feature a gathering of CARICOM Heads of Government and Ministers along with leading educational authorities for an education symposium focused on strengthening the collaborative ties between CARICOM and North American institutions of higher learning. The symposium will highlight benefits of existing collaborative models and discuss the role of the Diaspora in expanding ties between educational institutions in the CARICOM region and North America.

-- Trade Presentations & Networking: The trade networking activity gives
CARICOM public and private sector enterprises a platform to interface
with the New York State Development Corporation. New York provides
immense opportunities for CARICOM businesses to market their products
and services since millions of CARICOM nationals and North Americans
are consumers of Caribbean grown and manufactured products. The region is
also a thriving destination for tourism and outsourcing of services therefore participants will learn about opportunities for trade and investment in these areas.

-- Dinner with Mayor Bloomberg: This private dinner will give CARICOM
Government Heads an opportunity to connect with Mayor Bloomberg and
discuss the presence of Caribbean nationals in NYC.

-- Official Tour of Harlem: The CARICOM Heads of Government will participate in an official tour of Harlem, hosted by the Harlem Chamber of Commerce, to reconnect with the historical and present day importance of this area as well as Caribbean constituents living there.

-- Diaspora Forum: Presented by the CARICOM Consular Corps of New York
in conjunction with York College, CUNY, this event will examine investment and Diaspora engagement with home countries. CARICOM Heads of Government will discuss specific steps they have taken to increase the Diaspora participation in the development of the CARICOM region, as well as investment opportunities available to Caribbean nationals abroad under the CARICOM Single Market and Economy (CSME). The forum, which will be held at York College in Queens, is open to the public and will include an interactive Q&A session.

About CARICOM

In 1972, Commonwealth Caribbean leaders at the Seventh Heads of
Government Conference decided to transform the Caribbean Free Trade
Association (CARIFTA) into a Common Market and establish the Caribbean
Community, of which the Common Market would be an integral part.

The signing of the Treaty establishing the Caribbean Community, Chaguaramas, 4th July 1973, was a defining moment in the history of the
Commonwealth Caribbean. Although a free-trade area had been established,
CARIFTA did not provide for the free movement of labor and capital, or the
coordination of agricultural, industrial and foreign policies.

The objectives of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM), identified in
Article 6 of the Revised Treaty, are: to improve standards of living and
work; the full employment of labor and other factors of production;
accelerated, coordinated and sustained economic development and
convergence; expansion of trade and economic relations with third States;
enhanced levels of international competitiveness; organization for
increased production and productivity; achievement of a greater measure of
economic leverage and effectiveness of Member States in dealing with third
States, groups of States and entities of any description and the enhanced
co-ordination of Member States' foreign and foreign economic policies and
enhanced functional co-operation.

Media Contacts:

Edwige Buteau
RFBinder Partners (on behalf of CARICOM Consular Corps of New York)
212-994-7517
Edwige.Buteau@rfbinder.com

Casey Corrigan
RFBinder Partners (on behalf of CARICOM Consular Corps of New York)
212-994-7530
Casey.Corrigan@rfbinder.com