GUYANA and Haiti are expected to sign a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on the margins of the 29th Inter-sessional Meeting of the Conference of Heads of Government of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM), Minister of State Joseph Harmon has disclosed.

He said the MoU will be signed by President David Granger and President Jovenel Moïseor or their designated representatives, when the Inter-sessional Meeting of the Conference of Heads of Government of CARICOM is held in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, from February 26-27, 2018.

The MoU will pave the way for greater bilateral relations between Guyana and Haiti. “The Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) will provide a framework for a Guyana/Haiti Joint Commission, that will seek to enhance bilateral relations between our two countries in the areas of tourism, agriculture, water management, forestry and food security,” Minister Harmon explained. President Granger’s delegation to the inter-sessional meeting in Haiti will include Vice-President and Minister of Foreign Affairs, Carl Greenidge.

Meanwhile, the need for a more climate-resilient community is among issues on the table to be discussed by the CARICOM Heads of Government when they meet next week in Haiti.
Irma and Maria – two Category Five Hurricanes – left the Caribbean devastated after they ripped through several territories leaving many dead, homeless and even jobless.

Dominica and Barbuda (Antigua’s sister isle) were decimated. Anguilla and the British Virgin Islands were also devastated. The Bahamas and the Turks and Caicos Islands were severely affected and Haiti and St. Kitts and Nevis also suffered damage.

Additionally, the high incidence of crime and violence across the Community will also be examined. Regional Leaders have been analysing avenues that can be taken to effectively combat transnational organised crime, which remains one of the most immediate and significant threats facing the Region.

The CARICOM Single Market and Economy (CSME) and the impact of blacklisting actions by the European Union (EU) against CARICOM member states will also be discussed.