Other members of the Conference in attendance were: the Prime Minister of Antigua and Barbuda, Hon. Winston Baldwin Spencer; the Prime Minister of The Bahamas, The Rt. Hon. Hubert A. Ingraham; the Prime Minister of Barbados, Hon. David J. H. Thompson; the Prime Minister of Belize, Hon. Dean Oliver Barrow; the Prime Minister of the Commonwealth of Dominica, Hon. Roosevelt Skerrit; the Prime Minister of Grenada, Hon. Tillman Thomas; the Prime Minister of Jamaica, Hon. Bruce Golding; the Prime Minister of Saint Lucia, Hon. Stephenson King; the Prime Minister of St. Vincent and the Grenadines, Dr. the Hon. Ralph Gonsalves; the President of Suriname, His Excellency Drs. Runaldo R. Venetiaan; and the Prime Minister of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago, Hon. Patrick Manning.

Hon. Alrich Nicolas, Minister of Foreign Affairs represented Haiti, Hon. John A. Osborne Minister of Education, Health and Community Services represented Montserrat, His Excellency Delano Bart, Ambassador Extraordinaire and Plenipotentiary represented the Federation of St. Kitts and Nevis.

Associate Members in attendance were: the Chief Minister of Anguilla, Hon. Osbourne B. Fleming; the Premier of Bermuda, Hon. Ewart Brown, and Hon. Mark Scotland, Minister of Health represented the Cayman Islands.

OPENING CEREMONY

The Chairman of CARICOM, HE Bharrat Jagdeo, the Prime Minister of Antigua and Barbuda, Hon Baldwin Spencer; the Prime Minister of Belize, Hon Dean Barrow; the Prime Minister of Grenada, the Hon Tilman Thomas and the CARICOM Secretary-General HE Edwin Carrington addressed the Opening Ceremony.

President Bharrat Jagdeo, Chairman of the Community, in his address, enumerated the several socio-economic challenges being faced by the Community, the majority of which, he stated, were a result of the global financial crisis but also noted that the Region had made significant strides in its democratic process; its positive record of human rights; its model of peace and its unity of voice in critical matters, with particular reference to Climate Change.

He emphasized that there was a need for institutional strengthening since there was “no alternative to integration” and urged the Community to consider the European Union which continued to pursue higher forms of integration. President Jagdeo called on his colleague Heads of Government to preserve the popular faith in the cause of the integration movement, pointing out that the goals of the Community were more relevant now than in 1973, when the Treaty was signed.

In his statement, the Secretary-General emphasised the importance of the ensuing three-day deliberations, noting that the outcomes must lead to a reinvigoration of the integration process and to a renewal of the commitment to the building of a Community For All. To achieve that goal, the Secretary-General declared, the debate must lead to a rekindling of the spirit of hope and expectation among the people of the Community and thereby to their re-engagement in the construction of our Community.

The Hon Tilman Joseph Thomas, Prime Minister of Grenada, stated that the Community had weathered the global financial storm and had responded positively to the challenges, especially in areas such as democracy and governance, building human capital and capacity; Information and Communication Technologies and knowledge improvement. He added however, that the response could be magnified if Community leaders adhered to the spirit of the Grand Anse Declaration which sought to deepen the integration process.

Prime Minister Dean Barrow, immediate past Chairman of the Community, said the Community remained resilient in the face of the global recession, and its leaders were unanimous in their determination to stay the course. He outlined several achievements of the Community, including the critical role it played in the recently concluded United Nations Conference on the Global Financial Crisis; its advocacy for Cuba’s re-integration into the Organisation of American States (OAS) and the hosting of the Fifth Summit of the Americas.

Prime Minister Baldwin Spencer noted that the challenges of the Community were great but not insurmountable and re-affirmed his government’s unswerving commitment to the principles of the integration movement.

AWARDS

Order of the Caribbean Community (OCC)

Mr. Percival J. Patterson, former Prime Minister of Jamaica, was invested with the Community’s highest honour, the Order of the Caribbean Community. In presenting the award the Community heralded him as the Doyen of regional development and cooperation who was instrumental in the completion of the Revised Treaty of Chaguaramas that forms the legal basis of the CARICOM Single Market and Economy. In accepting the honour, Mr Patterson acknowledged that he was an incurable regionalist and encouraged the Heads of Government to nurture the Community.

Listing notable achievements of the Community, Mr Patterson said those positives were not intended to suggest that all was well, but to encourage Heads of Government on the journey to realising the mission of improving the quality of life for the people of the Caribbean.

Annual CARICOM 10K Road Race

Presentations were also made to the winners of the Fifth CARICOM 10K Road Race which was staged on Sunday 28 June 2009 in Georgetown. President Jagdeo presented the CARICOM Chairman’s Trophy to Guyana’s Cleveland Forde, while Secretary-General Carrington presented the CARICOM Secretary-General’s Trophy to the Hon Patrick Manning, Prime Minister of Trinidad and Tobago who accepted on behalf of Ms Shermin Lasaldo.

DOWLOAD FULL DOCUMENT BELOW
Source" caricom.org