CARICOM and the UN on Tuesday held discussions on their respective organizations’ work on a range of development priorities, spanning economic diversification, food security, human services, climate resilience, violence against women and girls, crime and the rule of law.
The discussions were held by Dr. Carla Barnett, Secretary-General of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) and Roberto Valent, Regional Director for Latin America and the Caribbean for the Development Coordination Office (DCO) of the United Nations.
A joint CARICOM and UN press release quoted Dr. Barnett as saying, “There is urgent need to close the emissions gap to maintain global warming to well below 1.5⁰C, and to enhance global advocacy for greater access to climate financing to help Small Island and Low-lying Coastal Developing States (SIDS) address the effects of climate change and respond effectively to loss and damage caused by climatic events.”
Dr. Barnett also recalled the fruitful discussions CARICOM Heads of Government held with the UN Secretary-General during the just-concluded 43rd Regular Meeting of the Conference of Heads of Government in Suriname.
The joint release said that both sides discussed the social, economic and security situation in Haiti and Dr. Barnett underscored CARICOM’s unwavering support for Haiti. The release noted that the Community continues to urge the international community to support Haiti’s long-term development needs. It was further reiterated by Dr. Barnett that CARICOM Heads of Government support the renewal of the UN Office in Haiti (BINUH) but with a strengthened mandate taking into account the prevailing security situation, as recommended by the UN Secretary General.
Valent in response said, “The UN is committed to supporting the work of regional organizations worldwide, including CARICOM, its Secretariat and its institutions, and of course its Member States. The UN Secretary-General was at the CARICOM Heads of Government meeting in Suriname last week, and I am delighted to have been able to meet the CARICOM Secretary-General today to further those discussions.”
“Both the CARICOM SG and I know that there is a monumental effort required across the Carib-bean to deliver on the promise of the Sustainable Development Goals. The Agencies, Funds and Programmes of the UN System are here for exactly this reason. Today, we spoke a little bit less about ‘what’ needs to be done, and a little bit more about how we are practically going to strengthen our developmental relationship to accelerate our shared objectives.”
Present at the meeting were Dr. Armstrong Alexis, CARICOM Deputy Secretary-General; Ambassador Donna Forde, CARICOM Assistant Secretary-General for Foreign and Community Relations; Yeşim Oruç, UN Resident Coordinator in Guyana; Birgit Gerstenberg, UN Resident Coordinator in Belize; Didier Trebucq, UN Resident Coordinator Barbados and the OESC, and Dr. Garry Conille, UN Resi-dent Coordinator in Jamai-ca, The Bahamas, Bermuda, the Cayman Islands and Turks and Caicos Islands.
