MEXICO – The Caribbean Community (CARICOM) is grateful for the significant benefits it has received from its decades old relationship with Mexico. This sentiment was expressed by CARICOM Secretary-General His Excellency Edwin Carrington when he addressed the opening of the 5th CARICOM-Mexico Joint Commission in Mexico City last Thursday (Oct. 1).
“We in CARICOM have benefited from projects which have resulted in the strengthening of regional institutions, the enhancement of human resource development, and the fostering of new research and development areas within the Region. For these we are deeply grateful,” said the Secretary-General.
He expressed the hope that the Joint Commission would be a vehicle to further advance discussions on a number of pending project proposals. He informed that the proposals were in areas such as capacity building, tax policy design, and statistical development. He added that the Region looked forward to discussions on possible future areas of cooperation such as maritime transport, agriculture, climate change, health and crime and security
“All of these areas are of critical importance to the livelihood, well-being, and in some cases, the very survival of the peoples of our hemisphere. The Community particularly welcomes the opportunity to re-engage Mexico on the issue of energy conservation. Now that the CARICOM Secretariat has established an Energy Unit we are better placed to advance our cooperation in relation to Regional Energy Policy as was foreseen in the Final Act of the Fourth Joint Commission. Given the Region’s high level of energy insecurity, I cannot over-emphasize the importance of this issue,” Mr. Carrington stressed.
He added that hemispheric issues remained prominent for the Region since as members of the same hemisphere CARICOM Member States and Mexico share a number of commonalities, concerns and challenges.
“These commonalities are today no more evident than with respect to the thorny issues of the global financial and economic crisis, Climate Change and security all of which critically require not only hemispheric but global cooperation. CARICOM and Mexico have a unique role to play in this regard,” said Mr. Carrington.
He credited the diplomatic role Mexico continues to play internationally including as a member of the United Nations (UN).
The CARICOM-Mexico Joint Commission was established in 1974, making Mexico the first country to establish a Joint Commission with CARICOM.
