The eighth Secretary-General of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) Dr Carla Barnett has given notice that her first order of business in office will be to ensure the regional grouping does all it can to help the people of earthquake-stricken Haiti.
Dr Barnett made the pledge of assistance at a brief virtual ceremony to officially mark her assumption of the office of CARICOM’s top civil servant.
She said: “I take up this position today against the backdrop of a devastating earthquake in Haiti, the impact of which will be made worse by the rains associated with Tropical Depression Grace which is already affecting the country.
“I reiterate the community’s condolences to the government and people of Haiti and to the relatives of those who lost lives in this terrible disaster. I also wish a speedy recovery to those who were injured.”
Dr Barnett extended gratitude to her predecessor, Ambassador Irwin LaRocque, for the 16 years he spent devoting himself to the task of making integration work for the benefit of the people of the Caribbean.
She said she is beginning her tenure with no misapprehension of the challenges that the community faces economically, socially, environmentally and financially, in addition to the thrust to build resilience against the existential threat of climate change in all its dimensions, and the urgency of constructing a recovery from the adverse effects of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Dr Barnett also indicated that CARICOM could not afford to neglect youth unemployment which has led to the explosion of the jobless in the wake of COVID-19, in addition to a troubling rise in crime in the home and on the streets.
She also noted the need to strengthen food security, reduce the incidence of non-communicable diseases and, on the economic front, address the issue of blacklisting by major industrial countries and the consequential loss of correspondent banking relations.
The CARICOM SG said: “All of these affect the lives and livelihoods of each and every one in our Community. It is therefore incumbent on all of those to engage in finding solutions and taking action to overcome these obstacles in our path to a secure, viable and ultimately sustainably prosperous community for all.
“There is no doubt that the innate sense of community in the people of the region manifests itself in both our brightest and our darkest days. We all enjoy our successes in sports, celebrating across the region the recent victories in the Olympic Games. We all celebrate our cultural icons. And with the same spirit of oneness, we do all that we can to help our sisters and our brothers when disaster strikes.”
The Secretary-General added that while seeking to build an integrated, inclusive and resilient CARICOM that is unified and competitive globally, she intended to invite community stakeholders in all sectors, including the media, to reach out to the CARICOM Secretariat to let the body know about their fears, concerns and vision for the future of the community.
She said that as the 50th anniversary of the regional bloc approaches in July 2023, the time is right to set achievable goals that would make the celebration truly golden. Dr Barnett said much has been achieved but a lot is taken for granted today, to the extent that some are not even associated with the movement.
“As we build on the work of those who came before us, space has to be created for new thinking, not only to solve the problems of the present but to outline new paths for the future of our integration process,” Dr Barnett said.
“How can we close the implementation gap? Is the single ICT [Information and Communications Technology] space or the blue economy or both the remedy to our collective economic ills? How do we participate as effectively as we can in the ongoing effort to reach agreement globally on containing global warming to 1.5 to stay alive?
“How do we productively use for the benefit of the wider community the relatively abundant lands of our continental member states? No one has all the answers, no one has all the ideas, that is why all must be involved. I see a Caribbean Community that the average citizens of the region will feel a part of and not apart from.”
The Secretary-General also paid tribute to former Prime Minister of Antigua and Barbuda Sir Lester Bird who died at age 83 last week. Dr Barnett said his contribution to the development of his country and the region will not be forgotten.
“Sir Lester was a regionalist who dedicated significant time and effort towards the advancement of the interest of the Caribbean Community. He may have been a fast bowler, but his innings in life was played very well,” she said.
Dr Barnett also wished a full and speedy recovery to Prime Minister of St Vincent and the Grenadines Dr Ralph Gonsalves who was recently injured during protests in Kingstown, and condemned violence which she said has no place in political discourse or society. (AH)
