THE Caribbean Community (CARICOM) Secretariat yesterday hosted a ceremony for the presentation of credentials by Picewell A. Forbes, Plenipotentiary Represntative (Designate) of The Bahamas.

Speaking on the occasion, CARICOM Secretary General, Irwin La Rocque said The Bahamas is a valued member of the Community and expressed his sympathy to its Government and People for the loss of life and destruction of property due to the recent passage of Hurricane Sandy.
He said: “The Bahamas is a valued Member of our Community and the fact that yours was one of the first diplomatic appointments made by the recently-elected Government of The Bahamas is testimony to the importance that your country attaches to its membership of CARICOM.”
Alluding to the recent disaster faced through Sandy, the Secretary General said he is certain that proactive measures taken by the Government to address the recovery effort and the strength and resilience of the Bahamian people will help them to persevere at this trying time.  
“Let me, at the outset, express my sympathy to the Government and People of The Bahamas at the loss of life and destruction of property, experienced as a consequence of the recent passage of Hurricane Sandy,” La Rocque asserted.
He noted that The Bahamas, like other CARICOM States, is confronting serious challenges as it pursues its national development aspirations. Included among them is climate change and related phenomena which continue to threaten the country’s unique ecosystem and infrastructural investments.
La Rocque said this was most recently borne out by the experience of Sandy, which served to highlight the vulnerability of the Region.
According to the Secretary General, The Bahamas is aggressively pursuing the development of its energy, agriculture and tourism industries, which are also key areas for other CARICOM States and which benefit from regional initiatives. 
        
New era
He said, at the same time, it is ensuring that job creation, youth empowerment and advances in the country’s education, sport and creative industries are at the centre of a new era of prosperity.
La Rocque reiterated that The Bahamas is an active participant in regional programmes and projects in the areas of human and social development, climate change, foreign policy, security, as well as trade and economic development.
Similarly, he said The Bahamas has added its voice to those of its fellow CARICOM Member States in seeking to have the Region’s interests represented and defended in the global arena, whether by advocating for reconsideration of the discriminatory Air Passenger Duty (APD).
La Rocque observed that this is applied by the British Government which impacts competitiveness in tourism; or whether by ensuring global attention, through the United Nations, to the scourge of chronic non-communicable diseases which not only undermine the health of its people but take a toll on the country’s social and economic development; or by advocating for reform of international financial institutions like the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and to address the peculiar characteristics of small, vulnerable and highly-indebted middle-income countries.
Additionally, he said The Bahamas also facilitates the Region’s engagement with international development partners, bilaterally and multilaterally. 
In this regard, he singled out The Bahamas for the hosting of the second US-Caribbean High-Level Security Cooperation Dialogue in November 2011.  
La Rocque pointed out that The Bahamas participates in regional trade agreements, such as the European Union-CARIFORUM Economic Partnership Agreement. 
“You would, no doubt, be aware that the EPA provides for regional preference, which seeks to promote free trade among CARIFORUM Members,” he reminded.
In this light, La Rocque said the Secretariat looks forward to engaging with The Bahamas in this regard.
He said, as is evident from the foregoing, the collective membership of CARICOM shares similar aspirations and challenges.
These are both being addressed at the regional level to reinforce and give greater impetus to the initiatives of Member States. 
        
Deeply valued
“The strength of our Community truly does lie in the sum of its parts and it is for this reason that the contribution of each Member State, including that of The Bahamas, is so critical and so deeply valued,” La Rocque emphasised.
He remarked that the accreditation, therefore, comes at a crucial period in the life of the Community, when CARICOM has embarked on a process of strengthening communities through reform and change.
In addition, the Secretary General said two key elements of this will be the development of a Community Strategic Plan and a restructured Secretariat. 
“As I seek to drive this process forward, I shall be counting on you and your colleague CARICOM Ambassadors to give input and to facilitate the requisite consultations which must take place at the national level, to ensure that this process reflects the priorities of Member States and the aspirations of our people,” La Rocque indicated.
He told the new envoy that, given his vast experience and expertise in the area of communication, he is particularly well placed to make a contribution, as CARICOM seeks to involve the people of the Community in this transformation exercise on which it has embarked.
“High Commissioner, you also have a role to play as your Prime Minister discharges his responsibility as lead Head for Tourism within the CARICOM Quasi Cabinet,” La Rocque reminded the other diplomat, telling him it is against that background, that he received his credentials with great pleasure. 
“As a UWI alumnus, you have experienced firsthand one of the fruits of the labour of integration. I congratulate you on your assumption of the important responsibility of Plenipotentiary Representative of The Bahamas to CARICOM.”
Meanwhile, Mr. Forbes said he humbly accepts the role which he is sure will further strengthen the friendly relations between The Bahamas and CARICOM.
“As a CARICOM family, we share a commonality of values and ideologies stemming from our common history and ancestral roots. Since the attainment of membership to the CARICOM community on 4th July, 1983, The Bahamas has sought to remain engaged in organs and institutions of CARICOM, collaborating with other member States as many issues of equal interest and the coordination of the region’s foreign policy has become foremost in most of our minds,” he stated.
Forbes noted that, as a former broadcaster, he has spent a number of years in the field of public relations and communications management and, therefore, has gathered an appreciation for and experience in advocating and advancing issues of the common man.