The benefits of Caricom to the Caribbean and its people were lauded by President Donald Ramotar at the institution’s 40th anniversary end-of-year function on Friday at the Princess International Hotel.
A release from the Government Information Agency (GINA) said that the President recognised the organisation’s work towards realising “the dream of closer and stronger ties among member states.”
“In this globalised world, the need for us to have stronger and closer relations is very important. We have the conditions to help move us closer together, we have a common history, and I detect too, that among the ordinary people of the region, they desire that we come closer together as one Caribbean people,” stated President Ramotar. According to the release, Caricom’s Secretary General Irwin LaRocque, in his remarks to the invitees including many former staffers, said, “As we commemorate this anniversary under the theme, ‘Celebration and Renewal,’ it is clear we have a lot to celebrate and we are also certain that there is a lot more to be achieved. At this junction in our journey, we are seeking to position ourselves… as a community to be better able to deliver even more tangible benefits to our people in the next 40 years and beyond.”
He listed several achievements including the establishment of the Single Market; collaboration in the fields of health, disaster management, agriculture, the environment and education; and an increasingly stronger international presence.
At the function staff recognition awards were also presented, honouring long-serving Caricom staff, employed for 20 years or more, whom the SG described as having served the organisation and the region, with commitment and unstinting dedication.
LaRocque also expressed gratitude to the government and people of Guyana for their support and steadfast commitment to the integration movement by hosting the Caricom headquarters for more than 40 years.
