And from the arrival of the different CARICOM leaders, we turn now to today's opening ceremony when Belize, the host country of the 2-day forum, officially took over as the Protem Chair of CARICOM.
That ceremony was broadcasted live this morning from San Pedro, and Daniel Ortiz reports on a few of the highlights. Here's his story:
This morning's ceremony marked the opening of the 33rd CARICOM Inter-sessional Meeting of Heads of Government.
But, it also finalized the handing-over of the rotating chairmanship from Prime Minister Gaston Brown and the Country of Antigua and Barbuda, to Prime Minister John Briceno and the country of Belize.
Hon. John Briceno - New Chair, CARICOM
"I hope that you have been well taken care of. If you've been well taken care of, that's all my work. If anything went wrong, well then, it's Minister Courtenay's fault. So, we can start with that, right?"
Dr. Carla Barnett - Secretary-General, CARICOM
"Let welcome to the Chairmanship of the Conference of the Heads of Government for the first time our host, the Prime Minister of Belize, Hon. John Briceno. I have no doubt that his experience and skills will be of great benefit as he leads our community in this uncertain time."
Hon. Gaston Browne - Outgoing Chair, CARICOM
"After 6 months as chairman in office of CARICOM, I hand the gavel of leadership to my colleague and friend, the Prime Minister of Belize, John Briceno. In doing so, I offer him my full support, as I'm sure all my colleagues do. Our unit and solidarity in CARICOM will be a vital and necessary element in the strength and stability of our organization, as we face a world in flux."
Prime Minister Briceno takes over the chairmanship during the tenure of Belize's Dr. Carla Barnett, the CARICOM Secretary-General.
Dr. Carla Barnett
"It is my pleasure to welcome you all and to address this opening session of the 33rd Inter-Sessional Meeting of the Heads of Government of the Caribbean Community. I am particularly pleased that this, my first address to this forum as secretary-general is taking place in my home country. We gather together around the table, rather than virtually for the first time in almost 2 years. The circumstances that occasioned that hiatus are still with us. We are learning to live with it, and to conduct our affairs in what can only be described as the new normal."
In their remarks, the keynote speakers reflected on shared challenges that residents of the Caribbean collectively face.
Dr. Carla Barnett
"Much too many of our citizens remain unvaccinated. Too many of our children are still out of school. Too many of our businesses are still floundering with the resultant effect on unemployment. However, one thing we have learned over the 49 years of our existence is that we are a resilient community."
Hon. Gaston Browne
"We must, however, continue to be vigilant in managing the threats of de-risking, the threats associated with the proposed global minimum cooperation tax, and sanction listings of so-called uncooperative jurisdictions by the OECD and the European Union. We must also enhance our negotiations of the EBA to ensure that it delivers the promised benefits to all its members, including the LDCs within CARICOM."
Hon. John Briceno
"I'm well aware of the criticism in many quarters, and perhaps well-founded about the state of our integration. For many, we are not moving fast enough or going deep enough. Others feel that their fledging national identity is at risk. But, none have challenged the inevitability of integration for our small Caribbean States. Integration is not only a [inaudible] for our development. It is also imperative for our recovery."
Hon. Gaston Browne
"It is not a secret that the result of COP-26 fell far short of expectations, and continue advocacy to push the major polluters of the world, to reduce emissions, to take mitigating actions, and to contain rising temperatures to remain 1.5 degrees [Celsius] of pre-industrial levels. The provision of affordable broadband is a public good, as vital as the provision of water or electricity, and this should remain a regional priority. Diversification and rapid economic expansion through digitalization require widespread enhancement of our information and communication technology infrastructure. Therefore, the cost of telecommunications and access to cheaper and more efficient broadband is quintessential for robust economic growth and development."
And of course, there is a renewed call for closer regional integration and the removal of all artificial barriers to trade. Belize, the new Protem Chair of CARICOM is well aware of those barriers since it recently picked a legal fight with Trinidad & Tobago, a fellow CARICOM Nation.
Hon. Gaston Browne
"I believe that CARICOM has learned from these developments to rely more and more on our own initiatives and our own resources to produce, buy and consume local and regional products as a priority for increased product security, profitability and sustainability."
Hon. John Briceno
"Colleagues, Prime Ministers, ladies and gentlemen, the CSME is at the center of our integration. Reflecting on our undertakings in the St. Anne Declaration of 2018, we need to redouble our efforts to complete the removal of the remaining barriers to inter-regional trade, empower our private sector, and full effect to the regime for free movement, including by addressing administrative obstacles. The CSME is the answer to the questions of how do we reduce the region's food import bill, how do we generate economic growth, how we improve and benefit more from trade with extra-regional partners. A robust CSME is indispensable to building resilient economies. It is central to our economic recovery."
Dr. Carla Barnett
"Let us set a target to lift intra-regional trade out of the doldrums of 16 to 18% of our total trade into 25% by 2025. This can be fueled in large measure by the agricultural sector. The proposal put forward to this meeting by the special ministerial task force on agriculture is worthy of favorable consideration."
The 33rd CARICOM Inter-sessional Meeting of the Heads of Government will continue tomorrow, and we'll have some of the important takeaways in our Wednesday newscast.
