Chairman of CARICOM and Prime Minister of the Commonwealth of The
Bahamas the Rt. Hon. Perry G. Christie, gave a summary statement at the Friday
Closing of the 26th Inter-Sessional Meeting of the Conference of Heads of
Government of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) at Melia Nassau Beach Resort, February
26-27, 2015. He said:
We have had a most productive two days and decided on a number of
issues.
One of the key items related to the leverage of our human, natural and
cultural assets for the benefit of our Community. We agreed that emphasis
should be placed on developing the cultural and creative industries and the
sport sector in a manner that would benefit the economies and the society as a
whole.
Specifically we have agreed to create the necessary legislation to
advance the creative industries and establish a sustainable financing mechanism
for the sector in collaboration with the CARICOM Development Fund and the
Caribbean Development Bank and the private sector.
Looking at the realignment of the education system to accommodate our
thrust in those areas and in that context the work of our Commission on Human
Resource Development will be key.
Marijuana:
We have agreed on the composition of the Marijuana Commission, which we
expect would soon begin its work to look into the social, economic, health and
legal issues surrounding the use of marijuana and to consult with stakeholders
to get a view on the issue
Committee of Ambassadors:
To improve implementation and overall governance of the Community we
approved the Functions of the Committee of Ambassadors. The Committee will work
closely with the Organs and Bodies of the Community, the CARICOM Secretariat
and the Community Institutions and Associate Institutions to establish and
maintain an efficient system of consultations at the national and regional
levels. It will also advance implementation, at the national level.
Banking:
Heads of Government agreed to establish a Committee of Finance Ministers
to work with the Caribbean Association of Banks to develop a plan to deal with
our region being unjustly labeled a high-risk area for financial services.
Because in many cases our indigenous banks cannot provide a high level
of reward, correspondent banks are closing their relationships with them
because of the claim that the Caribbean is a high-risk area for financial
services.
Unless this situation is addressed with urgency, the indigenous banks in
each of our countries will be adversely affected in their operations.
Reparations:
The meeting agreed to pursue the cause of reparatory justice through a
process of engagement with the relevant countries.
Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO):
We exchanged views with Dr. Jose Graziano da Silva, Director-General of the
Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and thanked him for the work being done
in the Region particularly with respect to Black Sigatoka disease and the
increase in programme budget in the Caribbean.
Pictured from left during the Closing Statement: Secretary
General of CARICOM Ambassador Irwin LaRocque; Prime Minister of Antigua and
Barbuda the Hon. Gaston Browne; Chairman of CARICOM and Prime Minister of The
Bahamas the Rt. Hon. Perry G. Christie; and Prime Minister of Barbados the Rt.
Hon. Freundel Stuart.
See photos from the event on our Facebook page.
