From:TheBahamasWeekly.com
US Puts $77 Million More Into Caribbean Security
By CARICOM News
Jun 27, 2011 - 7:55:00 AM
(CARICOM Secretariat, Turkeyen,
Greater Georgetown, Guyana) United States Secretary
of State Ms Hillary Clinton announced on Wednesday
that her country was committing $77 million (US) to
the Caribbean Basin Security Initiative (CBSI) in
the next fiscal year.
Ms Clinton was speaking at a High Level Meeting
between Foreign Ministers of the Caribbean Community
(CARICOM) and Dominican Republic and the United
States in Montego Bay, Jamaica on 22 June. She added
that it was important to look critically at the
Initiative in order to see what was or was not
working, to improve information sharing, institute
formal measures to co-ordinate maritime security and
to find the means for long term funding of security
measures.
The US Secretary of State assured the meeting
that President Barack Obama was committed to the
Region. She thanked CARICOM for its role in Haiti in
supporting the election process and singled out the
Chief of the CARICOM/Organisation of American States
Joint Electoral Observer Mission in Haiti Ambassador
Colin Granderson Assistant Secretary-General Foreign
and Community Relations at the CARICOM Secretariat
for special praise.
Ms Clinton also praised CARICOM for expanding
economic opportunity in Haiti through the three-year
non-reciprocal trading agreement between Haiti and
the rest of the Community which commenced last
January. She said that the US would work with
CARICOM to encourage private sector involvement in
Haiti to help spur economic growth in the country.
Notwithstanding three critical areas for
co-operation between the two sides which she
identified as citizen security, energy and climate
and economic development, Ms Clinton said that the
US would be asking for guidance in the specific
areas in which it can be helpful to the Region
Ms Clinton also announced that six Caribbean
countries would receive grants under the US
sponsored Energy and Climate Partnership of the
Americas (ECPA) based on their submissions for
assistance. Antigua and Barbuda, Dominica, Dominican
Republic, Grenada, Jamaica and St Vincent and the
Grenadines would receive the funds to establish
efficient and renewable energy projects.
Also under the ECPA, Ms Clinton said funds would
be provided for the University of the West Indies (UWI)
to form a partnership with universities in the US in
a Caribbean Climate Change initiative to identify
problems and solutions specific to the Caribbean.
The project is intended to connect scientists with
policy makers and to build local capacity in the
area of adaptation to climate change.
The Secretary of State also announced the
Caribbean IDEA Marketplace, a business competition
platform being developed in partnership with public
and private institutions to challenge global
Caribbean diaspora business and social entrepreneurs
to generate innovative projects that would stimulate
employment and economic growth in the Region.
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