Belize hands over CARICOM chair to Guyana

Heads of Government of the CARICOM rolled up their sleeves and got down to business in Georgetown, Guyana today for the thirtieth Conference of Heads. Prime Minister Dean Barrow addressed the opening ceremonies as outgoing chairman. Migration is one of the top issues under discussion and it is expected that the issues of climate change and free movement of skilled labour between CARICOM countries will also dominate the discussions. The Guyanese president, Bharrat Jagdeo will assume the chair for the next six months.

Peter Richards, CMC News
“If you listen to the press conference, the Barbados Prime Minister, who will obviously be the center of attraction at this summit because of his immigration, what he calls a domestic immigration policy. He will be the center of this summit. He has already said he doesn’t want the immigration, the migration issue to overshadow issues that of importance to the Caribbean. Things like ‘How would the Caribbean respond to the global economic crisis?,’ ‘What is happening to the H1N1 Virus, the influenza,’ and these sort of things. So far you’ve heard some of the leaders talking about the upcoming Copenhagen conference and how the Caribbean could be severely affected if they do not take a common position going into that conference. With Mr. Jagdeo’s open position on climate change, I think we will also see that emerging form the summit.”

Former Jamaican Prime Minister P.J. Patterson will be honoured with CARICOM’s highest award, Order of the Caribbean Community. The prime minister is accompanied by his C.E.O. Audrey Wallace and Financial Advisor Allan Slusher.