Caricom Secretary General, Irwin LaRocque received Perry Halloway as the new US Ambassador to Caricom on Tuesday.
According to a Caricom press release, among the areas of strengthened cooperation reiterated during the accreditation ceremony were security, health and energy.
Included in the remarks by LaRocque was the US$20M fund for energy-related projects as announced by US President Barack Obama at the Caricom-US summit held last April in Jamaica. In the area of Climate Change, Caricom has sought the support of the US Presidency as it seeks to have a binding agreement on climate change at the upcoming December, Paris global COP21 Climate conference.
The proliferation in the use of small arms and light weapons by criminal elements across the region was highlighted by LaRocque, which he said was as a result of the region serving as a transit point for the drug trade between the producing and consuming countries. In response, Holloway said the Caribbean Basin Security Initiative launched in 2010 has been beneficial in terms of reducing narcotics flow through the region and also enhancing the personal security of Caricom citizens. The US Ambassador added that his country is committed to working closely with the region to advance the shared goal of combatting organized crime.
LaRocque expressed gratitude for US support in combatting HIV/AIDS through the Global Fund and the US President’s Emergency Fund for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR). In addition, the Secretary General was also grateful for the energy sector support through the proposed establishment of the Caribbean and Central American Energy Security Task Force.
It is expected, Holloway said, that the Regional Energy Task Force will revitalise the cooperation between the US and the Caribbean private sector investors to combat the energy and environmental challenges facing the region and in so doing, the benefits derived will exceed the economic aspect and assist in fighting global climate change.
Holloway is also the US Ambassador to Guyana.
