As Guyanese continue to make good on financial pledges and tangible donations to the victims of the January 12 earthquake in Haiti, Secretary-General of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM), Dr Edwin Carrington, met with the media on Friday to formally provide an update on continuing relief efforts by the regional body in Haiti.

Dr Carrington was joined by Deputy Secretary -General Ambassador Lolita Applewhaite, Assistant Secretary-General Ambassador Colin Grandison, Jeremy Collymore, coordinator of the Caribbean Disaster Emergency Management Agency (CDEMA), and Lynn-Ann Williams, Executive Director of the Implementation Agency for Crime and Security (IMPACS), who shared the reality of the situation gained through first-hand experience since they witnessed the after-effects. The briefing was teleconferenced across the region with media representatives from almost all member states.

The Secretary-General noted that it was a sad time for all and that the Community has been trying to put its best foot forward in the crisis. He applauded the media coverage that has been given to this issue over the past few days.

Dr Carrington indicated that after several consultations and meetings with as many heads as were available, and the various persons on staff, the body has devised a three-pronged approach to Haiti, consisting of search and rescue, recovery and reconstruction.

A detailed outline of CARICOM’s response was given to inform persons of the efforts that have been put in place, beginning with a press release being issued on January 13 and the initiation of mobilising an emergency response through CDEMA.

Jamaica immediately sent out teams consisting of the Jamaican Defence Force, and consultations were held with the current chairman of the regional grouping, Prime Minister Roosevelt Skerrit of Dominica, and thereafter, a full statement was issued.

On Thursday, Prime Minister Bruce Golding of Jamaica met with President Rene Preval and the prime minister of Haiti to further assess the critical needs of the situation. Leaders proceeded in this regard in Barbados and Jamaica. On Friday, a large contingent of senior regional officials left Jamaica for Haiti but was unable to land due to extensive congestion at the airport.

As a result, the flight was redirected to Barbados and the mission aborted. This situation was also faced by the French who sent support teams as well, due to the size of the airport ramp and the lack of facilities which were destroyed. On Saturday, a large group of CARICOM officials was allowed to enter Haiti.

Thus far, four CARICOM personnel are unaccounted for, one each from St. Lucia and Trinidad and Tobago, and the other two from the Netherland Antilles.

On Monday, five CARICOM heads and the Secretary-General participated in an international donors meeting that included Haiti, the United Nations, Spain, the European Union, the Organisation of American States, Mexico, Chile, the Inter-American Development Bank and the World Bank.

This was a large meeting to address the damage and the way forward in Haiti. The result of this meeting is that there will be a major international conference to be held in Montreal today to deal specifically with the reconstruction of Haiti and the creation of a Strategic Plan that must contribute to Haiti’s long-term development and stability.

An internal coordination committee has also been established at the Secretariat. Importantly CARICOM has maintained an office in Haiti for the past two years. The role of that body will be evaluated and revised in the wake of this disaster.

The challenges that are faced in Haiti include limited access to the airport and damage to the seaports.

Critical has been the provision of medical supplies, water and blankets to the affected. Collectively, member states have contributed US$4M (Guyana: US$1M, Trinidad and Tobago: US$1M, Suriname: US$1M, Grenada: US$100,000, St. Lucia: EC$500,000, the Virgin Islands: US$80,000, Antigua and Barbuda: EC$100,000, St. Vincent and the Grenadines: US$100,000 and the Caribbean Development Bank: US$200,000.) While Jamaica has not made any monetary pledges, that country’s first response and ongoing support was lauded by all at the Secretariat.

Based on consultations, the decision was taken that CARICOM’s main focus of support will be in the area of health, through the coordinating committee in Barbados.

On the matter of whether Haiti will still assume the chair, the Secretary-General indicated that a final position of this will be shared with the public when it becomes available.