SOUTH FLORIDA – The Guyanese American Chamber of Commerce (GACC) wishes to extend greetings to all American citizens and residents as the Nation celebrates its 247th Independence Anniversary. We especially take this opportunity to commend the American business community including Guyanese American owned business enterprises for their steadfast efforts to overcome the challenges posed by the COVID 19 pandemic and the consequential negative impact on their operations. We pledge to continue to work to advance the legitimate interest of the Guyanese business community in the US and those back home in the context of facilitating improved access to the US market.
Caribbean American Heritage Month
Last month the Caribbean Diaspora in the US once again celebrated Caribbean American Heritage Month. The GACCthis year chose to celebrate this occasion in Guyana, the headquarters of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) with a reception which also served to honor the sterling contribution of the US Ambassador to Guyana and to CARICOM, Her Excellency Sarah-Ann Lynch.
CARICOM Day
As we celebrate the anniversary of the US attainment of Independence, it is no coincidence that CARICOM Dayis celebrated this year, just the day before July 4th. It is also no coincidence that US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken is today attending the CARICOM Heads-of-Government meeting in Chaguaramas, Trinidad and Tobago, celebrating the 50th anniversary of the founding of CARICOM. These events reflect the growing importance of rebuilding US/CARICOM relations to the levels previously enjoyed and intensifying collaboration to confront the challenges ahead.
Secretary of State Anthony J. Blinken
In a recent engagement with the Council on Foreign Relations, Secretary Blinken said: ”We (America) have a vision that is clear and unambiguous, what we’d like the world to become: free, secure, open, prosperous. And that’s a cliché, but it actually means something. It means societies in which individuals can choose their own lives freely. It means countries that are free to decide what their path will be, who their partners will be. It means an international system that’s built around rules transparently, applied fairly and equitably with goods, with information, with people flowing lawfully and freely. And it means technology used to uplift people, not to keep them down.
On the other hand, we have, increasingly, some actors, some countries that want to erase any of the rules, the norms, the standards that we’ve developed over 75 years as a Western construct that shouldn’t apply to them. We have a reassertion in some cases of spheres of influence. We have countries that are using predatory nonmarket practices to gain economic power and influence. We have the weaponization of dependencies, the weaponization of information, and we have assertions that what we see as universal rights are purely internal questions. So, they’re two very different views of the world; and there may well be a desire on the part of those who have a different view for a world order, but it’s an illiberal one and ours remains at heart a liberal one. So, there’s going to be a contest to shape this future.”
It is the firm view of the GACC that the contest to shape the future must be based on shared values such as, inter alia, respect for the rule of law, freedom of expression, non-discrimination and a trading system that recognizes the need for the removal of unnecessary barriers to be able to access markets, assistance especially in the area of micro, small and medium enterprise development, and access to financing on reasonable and affordable terms. This is particularly important as the CARICOM region seeks to ensure food and energy security, initiatives for which the US has publicly expressed its support.
Visit to Guyana
The GACC is also delighted at the news that Secretary Blinken will visit Guyana later this week. The US is Guyana’s and CARICOM’s largest trading partner as well as home to the biggest Guyanese and CARICOM Diaspora communities. The Chamber looks forward with great interest and a sense of positive hope that the Secretary’s bilateral visit to Guyana will focus not only on the opportunities but the challenges which the people of Guyana, including the business community must confront. America must seek to remain Guyana’s most trusted friend through the generation of greater confidence on the part of the Guyanese people in America’s commitment and firm action to help to protect and advance our shared values.
The GACC is pleased to have played a part in facilitating initial contact leading up to two major transformational projects underway in Guyana. One, in the area of food security, a state-of-the-art-dairy farm that will contribute significantly to the reduction of milk imports when it becomes operational in October 2024, and the other the establishment of the World Trade Center Georgetown, the first in the CARICOM region which is set for formal opening in February 2024. Work on both projects is currently ongoing as part of the expansion and diversification of Demerara Distillers Limited (DDL).
