Jul 2010 Financial News

31st Caricom summit opens today

Jul 04, 2010

ROSE HALL, St James — The 31st annual summit of the Caribbean Community (Caricom) opens here today at the Cornwall Room in Half Moon Village with a blend of cultural performances along with political statements by some of the region's heads of government.

Secretary General of the United Nations Ban Ki-moon, as well as the International Monetary Fund's (IMF's) managing director Dominique Strauss-Kahn and the Organisation of American States (OAS) secretary general Jose Miguel Insulza are expected to be in attendance at the opening ceremony, scheduled for 4:45 pm.

Jamaica's Prime Minister Bruce Golding and recently appointed Prime Minister of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago Kamla Persad- Bissessar, St Kitts and Nevis prime minister Dr Denzil Douglas; as well as the Prime Minister of Dominica and outgoing chairman of Caricom, Roosevelt Skerrit, will be among the regional heads to address the gathering.

Caricom Secretary General Dr Edward Carrington and Ban Ki-moon are also scheduled to address the ceremony.

The meeting, which will get down to serious business at the nearby Rose Hall Hotel and Spa tomorrow, ends on Wednesday.

The reconstruction and the long-term development of Haiti, which was ravaged by an earthquake in January, will be one of the main agenda topics to be discussed at the conference, to be presided over by Golding.

Golding will assume the role of chairman of the regional grouping for the next six months, as Réné Preval, the Haitian president who was slated to become chairman, opted not to do so because of the devastation of his country by the earthquake.

Dr Carrington has said that Haiti's destruction "demands that we all pitch in to bolster the efforts of the Haitian people".

During the four-day conference, the UN, IMF and OAS heads will discuss with Caricom leaders a range of issues, including the international financial system and its impact on Caricom states, the Millennium Development goals, climate change, crime and security.

Other important topics on the agenda are: progress in the implementation of the Caricom Single Market and Economy; update on the external trade negotiations and the region's progress in light of the global economic and financial crisis.


Source:
BY MARK CUMMINGS Sunday Observer senior reporter cummingsm@jamaicaobserver.com
Jamaica Observer
Sunday July 4, 2010

http://www.jamaicaobserver.com/news/31st-Caricom-summit-opens-today_7771281