What CARICOM Meeting is About

San Pedro will welcome the Caricom's heads of Government for the 33rd Inter-sessional meeting.
It's a meeting that's integrally important to the security and progress of the region and it's no wonder because the agenda for the two-day meeting is jam-packed.

We got just a preview of those talking points from Belize's Minister of Foreign Affairs Eamon Courtney when he sat down with our Sunup hosts on Wednesday. Here's how he laid it out.

Eamon Courtenay, Minister of Foreign Affairs
"For example, the head will be looking at the Post COP26 climate change as it affects the Caribbean. COP27 will be in Egypt later this year and so we are starting to do an analysis of the failures of COP26 and how we position the region for COP27. We have the whole question of COVID, the continued reality of lack of access to vaccines around the region, the state of the preparedness in the region to deal with the consequences, the economic consequences, the health consequences and to put on the international agenda the position of CARICOM in so far as the Covid, not only the actor dealing with the pandemic but also the recovery in addition to which there is the question of Haiti. As you know Haiti is a member of CARICOM, unfortunately, Haiti is suffering from a serious crisis of governance. The current, first of all there is no president, the current Prime Minister, his term in inverted commas came to an end on the 6th of February and so the question is what is the legitimacy of his current governing and Caribbean community feels very strongly that Haiti is our member and we need to engage the international community to find a Haitian designed solution to the governance problems and just as urgently to the whole question of the effects of earthquakes, the effects of hurricanes because there is tremendous suffering in Haiti as well as Covid. So, those are three very important issues that we will be dealing with, we will be dealing with other issues, for example, the Caribbean single market and the economy, the implementation of it, where we are with it, Prime Minister Mia Mottley who chairs the Prime Ministerial sub-committee has written to each head of government identifying in each country, what they have achieved and what they need to do, what they have failed to do and she is pushing very aggressively for implementation of the measures that we should do so that we can have free movement of people goods and services throughout the region.

Channel 7

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CARICOM HEADS TO TACKLE WIDE RANGE OF ISSUES AT MEETING IN BELIZE

Caribbean Community (CARICOM) Heads of Government will deliberate on several major issues, including the Region's post-pandemic economic recovery, when they gather on San Pedro in Belize for their Thirty-Third Inter-Sessional Meeting on 1-2 March 2022.

The Meeting, under the Chairmanship of Prime Minister Mr. John Antonio Brice�o of Belize, is also expected to address advancing the implementation of the CARICOM Single Market and Economy (CSME), regarded as the Region's most practical option for responding to current economic challenges, and building a more resilient Caribbean Community.

The situation in Member State Haiti, including the current political impasse and security and socio-economic challenges, will also be examined. Heads will also discuss the regional security situation including any new challenges from the period of the pandemic.

The Meeting is expected to advance the CARICOM Agri-Food systems agenda with recommendations for regional food and nutrition security. The Heads are also expected to engage representatives of the Private Sector, Labour and Civil Society.

Climate Change, an existential threat to Caribbean small island and low-lying States is also before the Meeting, which will assess the outcomes of COP26 - the last global Climate Change conference in Glasgow, and begin to outline the Region's plan of work for COP27.

The Meeting begins on Tuesday at 9:00 a.m. Belize Time with an Opening Session which will be addressed by Secretary-General Dr Carla Barnett; Out-Going Chairman Prime Minister Mr. Gaston Browne of Antigua and Barbuda; and the Chairman, Prime Minister Brice�o. There will be a Closing Press Conference on Tuesday at 5:00 p.m. Belize Time.

This will be the first in-person CARICOM Heads of Government Inter-Sessional Meeting for the Secretary-General and new Deputy-Secretary General Dr Armstrong Alexis who took up their positions last August and November respectively. Two new Assistant Secretaries-General - Ambassador Donna Forde who heads the Foreign and Community Relations Directorate and Ambassador Wayne McCook who heads the Single Market and External Trade Directorate, are also attending their first Heads of Government Meeting.

Following the Inter-Sessional Meeting, CARICOM Heads of Government will join their Central American counterparts for the Fourth CARICOM-SICA summit on 3March, also on San Pedro, Belize., where the two Regions will seek to build on common interests and challenges, including the current pandemic and climate change. United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres is expected to address the gathering.

Editor's Note: CARICOM Secretary-General Dr Carla Barnett provided a preview of the major issues in this interview:



https://caricom.org/caricom-heads-to-tackle-wide-range-of-issues-at-meeting-in-belize/