CARICOM extends support to Latin American, other development partners

Caribbean: The Caribbean Community (CARICOM) has continued its support to promote the development priorities of the Latin American and other development partners.

Recently, CARICOM Deputy Secretary-General Dr Armstrong Alexis presented a cycle of a sub-grouping of the global Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) – Latin American and the Caribbean Programme (LACRP). The Programme will have its own focus areas, governance, productivity, social inclusion, and sustainable development.

The Deputy Secretary-General informed that in the area of sustainable development, CARICOM will more concentrate on the interventions of Disaster Risk Reduction, compensation for loss and damage, adaptation, food security, management and conservation of the fisheries resources of the region, and enabling mechanisms to access climate financing in the last decade of the 2030 Development Agenda.

Dr Alexis was quoted as, “The 15 Member States of the Caribbean Community Secretariat (CCS) will use each opportunity during the formal meeting and negotiations of high political relevance to champion the climate justice.”

The Deputy Secretary-General further highlighted that the CARICOM Head has recently decided to assign the responsibility for Industrial Policy to the President of Suriname, as the Region pursues regional and national industrial policies guided by principles of green growth and low-carbon development strategies.

He concluded that the Caribbean community would focus on the elements which will strengthen social inclusion. As per the Deputy Secretary-General, these elements are – youth development, human resource development, health sector development, culture and community development, and crime as well as security.