Citing the rapprochement between Havana and Washington, new Caricom Chairman Perry Christie says he sees an urgent need for a summit between US President Barack Obama and Heads of Government of the integration movement.
In a New Year’s message, Christie, the Prime Minister of The Bahamas, said there was no more vivid demonstration about the dynamic nature of the global environment than the warming relations between Cuba and the US.
Christie noted that this year Caricom will embark on the implementation of its historic five-year strategic plan for the first time in its history.
He said that the 2015-2019 strategic plan seeks to reposition the community, making it more resilient to internal and external factors which hinder sustainable development in a rapidly changing world.
This new approach is deemed as the best option for growth and development of the people in the region and is an important part of the reform process for the community, he added.
Besides the institution of the inaugural five-year strategic plan, CARICOM also has to partake in the United Nations’ Post-2015 Develop-ment agenda negotiations for Small Island Developing States which begins this year.
This, the report said, is of integral importance to the region as the vulnerability of smaller states such as those in the region must be taken into account and acted upon.
Meanwhile, outgoing CARICOM Chair Gaston Browne, Prime Minister of Antigua and Barbuda in handing the baton to Prime Minister Christie said it had been an exacting year for most of the member states.
“The collective intelligence and creativity of our people has ensured that our Caribbean Civilisation has thrived despite the setbacks and it is to that we have turned again to combat our current challenges”, Browne said.
