CARICOM, UK pledge two-way cooperation

CARICOM Secretary-General Irwin La Rocque has said he is convinced that the strong and mature relationship between the Caribbean Community and the United Kingdom (UK) could meet the challenge of finding reasonable solutions to issues that arise between them.“We have done so in the past and I have no doubt that we will so do in the future. We will continue to work together, steadfastly and aggressively, on the things that we do agree on, in the interest of the security, prosperity and sustainability of our respective communities and the global population,” he told British High Commissioner to Barbados, Victoria Dean.
At the time, on Wednesday, he was accepting her Letters of Introduction as Ambassador to the regional grouping at the CARICOM Secretariat in Georgetown.
“UK-CARICOM relations are as diverse as they are deep, spanning from diplomatic and commercial to social and cultural ties, strengthened by a vibrant and active Caribbean Diaspora in the UK,” La Rocque told the envoy.
He said those ties are bolstered by the UK-Caribbean Forum which provided an important opportunity for identifying, discussing and agreeing upon the priorities for cooperation bilaterally, regionally and multilaterally.
Looks forward
La Rocque added that CARICOM looks forward to another productive exchange, in June, on issues of mutual importance such as security, climate change, the Post-2015 Development Agenda, sustainable trade and economic growth.
The Secretary-General said the Community is appreciative of the UK’s support, through the Department for International Development (DFID), to its adaptation to climate change and in the ongoing reform process.
He noted that progress in the two-pronged change process, that involved a Strategic Plan for the Community and the transformed Secretariat, had been satisfactory.
“With your assistance, as part of the strategic planning process, we have been able to conduct wide-ranging consultations in every Member State of the Community as well as in two Associate Members. The Draft Strategic Plan is well advanced and will be ready for the Heads of Government Meeting in July. The in-house change team, here at the Secretariat, has been working closely with the Change Facilitation Team to improve the effectiveness and efficiency of our organisation,” La Rocque assured the British diplomat.
On other issues, he related that CARICOM Heads of Government, at their Inter-Sessional Summit last week, reiterated their desire for a “substantive exchange” with the UK and other European nations on the issue of Reparations for Caribbean Slavery and Native Genocide.
That exchange was in the context of development and in the “spirit of the mutually respectful and amicable relations” the parties enjoyed, he reported.
Wide experience
Acknowledging the High Commissioner’s wide experience in matters related to the European Union, of which the UK is a key member, La Rocque urged that the UK become an advocate for the Region in the EU and other fora with respect to how the policy of graduating small middle-income countries from concessionary aid, based on Gross Domestic Product (GDP) per capita, was applied.
The newly accredited UK delegate to CARICOM, pledged to play the role of advocate for the Region in the pursuit of its objectives.
She said the UK will play the part of conduit for CARICOM’s views on the global stage and support Member States in their relations with third States in respect of trade.
Dean recognised that, despite being vulnerable to external shocks and climate change, countries of the Community are resilient, adaptable and creative.
Challenging environment
She said:“The current economic situation in some CARICOM members highlights that challenging environment we all find ourselves in. And it also highlights the vulnerability. Exogenous shocks come hard and fast in this Region.
“The peoples of the Caribbean are resilient and adaptable and have to be. Climate change is, perhaps, the most serious and alarming of these challenges and will require that resilience and adaptability to come to the fore, along with creativity, investment and forward planning.”
In light of the priority CARICOM Heads of Governments have placed on climate change, the British diplomat undertook to use her time to work with the CARICOM Secretary-General in ensuring that climate change is kept at the top of the agenda and to ensure that support from the UK is delivered.
Dean said the UK is also interested in continuing to support the reform process in the Community in “practical and very tangible” ways.
“I am an avid believer in the importance of regional cooperation and integration and the many often unseen and unexplained benefits it can bring to countries and citizens. That said, it means I also know how complex and tricky the development and integration experience can be; these bodies take time and care to build and the UK firmly believes there is a growing role for CARICOM to play and wants to work with you to help foster that,” she stated.
The UK is the most recent of several countries to accredit plenipotentiary representatives to the Caribbean Community.