Australia is aiming to strengthen its relationship with the Caribbean Community (Caricom) by identifying ways that it can expand aid to the region through a development needs assessment exercise.
Australia Parliamentary Secretary for Pacific Island Affairs, Richard Marles said that he has visited a number of Caricom countries recently to determine these needs. He was speaking at a press briefing held at the Pegasus Hotel.
According to a Government Information Agency (GINA) press release, Marles said that the Australian Government has given $60M to Caricom countries to expand critical development areas such as climate change, economic resilience and personnel (development scholarships for technical persons), which will help them as developing countries.
“This trip is based on the continued development of the relationship that the Australian Government and CARICOM share based on a number of Memoranda of Understanding, for the establishing of a $60M development programme … visiting Guyana today is about a bilateral agreement…we are proud of the steps that Guyana has made towards the development of a climate change strategy through its Low Carbon Development Strategy,” Marles said.
According to Marles, visiting the various Caricom states allows him to see the differences that exist between them and the Pacific Islands, in order to better inform the level of development-related intervention that can be made, moreso for collaboration between the two on a number of other issues.
