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Caricom View 40Th Anniversary Edition 40TH ANNIVERSARY EDITION JULY 2013 LAYING THE GROUNDWORK FOR A COMMUNITY FOR ALL Founding Fathers, from left, the Hon. Errol Barrow, Prime Minister of Barbados, the Hon. Forbes Burnham, Prime Minister of Guyana, the Hon. Eric Williams, Prime Minister of Trinidad and Tobago and the Hon. Michael Manley, Prime Minister of Jamaica, sign the Treaty of Chaguaramas on July 4th, 1973. Table of Contents Celebration and Renewal 04 Foreword by Prime Minister of Trinidad and Tobago, the Hon Kamla Persad-Bissessar The Community from 1973 to 2013 - And Beyond 05 Perspective by Prime Minister of St. Kitts and Nevis, The Rt. Hon. Dr. Denzil Douglas 04 Moving resolutely forward, together 07 Ambassador Irwin LaRocque ‘All hands must be on deck’ 09 Sir Edwin Carrington, former Secretary-General, Caribbean Community In the beginning 10 24 Sir Shridath Ramphal Integration an Imperative 12 The Most Hon Percival J. Patterson The Caribbean Community at 40 17 By Professor Sir Kenneth Hall Human Development, Functional Cooperation and the 19 Science of Delivery By Dr. Edward Greene CXC at 40 – Celebrating accomplishments: 24 continuing the journey By Cleveland Sam Climate Change: The Caribbean Experience 28 By Dr. Ken Leslie 31 41 The Community through the years – pictorial 29 Culture and Integration 37 His Excellency Desire Delano Bouterse, President of the Republic of Suriname Food for thought: the Caribbean’s culinary culture 39 By Janice Maison Music as Regional Glue 42 By Dave Martins Sport: Solidifying our Common Caribbean Bonds 43 By Keith Joseph 59 Reflecting on the past; embracing the present; 48 creating the future By Dwayne Gutzmer, Cindy Ferla Morquette, and Tamira Browne The Caribbean Community Secretariat: 52 From Colgrain to Turkeyen Secretaries-General of the Caribbean Community 55 CARICOM VIEW 40TH ANNIVERSARY EDITION 2 40TH ANNIVERSARY EDITION CARICOM VIEW 3 CARICOM VIEW 40TH ANNIVERSARY EDITION Celebration and Renewal Foreword by the Honourable Kamla Persad-Bissessar SC, MP, Chairman of the Conference of Heads of Government of the Caribbean Community and Prime Minister of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago on the occasion of the 40th Anniversary of CARICOM orty years ago, four visionary trade and economic destiny. I commend leaders of the Region charted an the foresight that informs our occasional ambitious course for the Com- altered course to gain traction from and monwealth Caribbean. In a tan- respond to the increasingly mercurial in- gible step to take charge of their ternational environment. It has also in- Fdestiny, they charted a course towards formed our determination to reform our economic integration and a new path to structures to meet the demands of the development that was deemed an abso- new age and most importantly the expec- lute necessity at that time given our size tations of our citizens. and resource base and international devel- opments. The time is ripe therefore, for us, as we celebrate our 40th year of existence, to It is with pride that we celebrate a mile- reflect on and renew that vision, which stone anniversary of the establishment still remains our most viable option for of the Caribbean Community (CAR- growth and development; a vision of uni- ICOM). It is my distinct pleasure and ty, of selfless leadership, of shared eco- great privilege to be Chair of the Com- nomic prosperity, of advanced political munity and to host this 34th Meeting of and social standing based on the tenets of the Conference of Heads of Government democracy and a Community for All. The on the 40th Anniversary of the signing of time is ripe, as we look forward to the next the Treaty of Chaguaramas which estab- 40 years, for us to recommit ourselves to lished CARICOM. fashioning a Community of which we can all continue to be proud, a Community Fortuitously, the Conference of Heads of built on the foundation of a robust social, Government convenes in Port of Spain cultural, legal and political environment, this year, a stone’s throw away from characterized by a healthy, highly-educat- Chaguaramas where those four visionar- ed, technologically-savvy populace, forg- ies affixed their signatures to our Found- ing new and innovative routes to deeper ing Treaty, an act that Dr. Eric Williams, regional integration. The time is ripe for then Prime Minister of Trinidad and To- us to consider practical ways of ensuring bago and a CARICOM founding father, that our people enjoy the benefits and im- described as “an historic step in the long, pact of their Caribbean Community. arduous road in the movement for Carib- bean integration”. Trinidad and Tobago reaffirms its firm Honourable Kamla Persad-Bissessar SC, commitment to CARICOM and regional MP, Chairman of the Conference of Heads Indeed, the road has been long and ardu- integration, and stands ready to continue of Government of the Caribbean Commu- ous marked with milestones of achieve- its leadership role as our Caribbean Com- nity and Prime Minister of the Republic of ments. I applaud the strides we have munity moves inexorably forward to the Trinidad and Tobago. made through functional cooperation - in next forty years and beyond education, in health, in culture, in sport, . in security; in forging, as far as possible, a coordinated foreign policy; in shaping our 4 40TH ANNIVERSARY EDITION CARICOM VIEW The Community from 1973 to 2013 - and beyond By the Rt. Hon. Dr. Denzil Douglas Prime Minister of St. Kitts and Nevis ven the most far-reaching ac- continue to move forward. complishments have their gene- sis in man’s capacity to imagine CARICOM is a work in progress. And what has never been. All ad- so should it be. All beings and entities, vances begin as a spark within as long as they are alive and dynamic, Ethe human mind, and this, too, explains are by definition works in progress. The the evolution of the abstract idea that has raison d’etre of the Caribbean Commu- since become the Caribbean Community nity, however, remains incontestable. And (CARICOM). the global crises of the past four decades have underscored the wisdom of the Re- For eighteen years, I have had the honour gion having formulated and embraced a of joining forces with the leaders whom framework for a shared vision through the people of the Caribbean have elected integration. to advance the interests of their respective nations. And I have always understood There is broad-based agreement at the that with the assumption of our national policy level that functional cooperation responsibilities as Caribbean Prime Min- in such critical areas as health, security, isters, we were simultaneously assuming trade, and human resource development, a shared responsibility to protect and is essential. However, the pace of Re- advance the interests of the wider CARI- gional integration would be accelerated COM as well. by a more broadly-based realization and acceptance of this by the millions of Car- We are clearly farther along the road to ibbean nationals whose life prospects have integration today than we were 40 years been, and will continue to be, enhanced ago. The Caribbean Court of Justice, for due to the existence of CARICOM. It is example, being just one manifestation the people’s full embrace of the idea of of our movement away from traditional integration that will determine the actu- dependencies. However, we must contin- al pace and process of implementation in ue to work hard to ensure that Member the months and years ahead. As Regional States’ reconciling of their national and Governments, therefore, we must contin- regional responsibilities keeps pace with ue to collaborate with the Secretariat the guiding ethos of the Community. The with a view to intensifying the commu- CARICOM has no room for insularity nications and public education processes. or a “they” versus “us” bias, based on size And we must ensure that the thrust and Rt. Hon. Dr. Denzil Douglas and resources. These are the stumbling apparatus chosen for the dissemination Prime Minister of St. Kitts and Nevis blocks that CARICOM was designed to of the integration message reach beyond confront and overcome. And it is on the the capitols of Member States and the Caribbean Single Market and Economy technocrats of our respective societies, (CSME), with its ability to deepen and and touch the hearts and minds of every strengthen regional integration, that the Caribbean man and woman. Region must rely if we are to completely dismantle all such stumbling blocks and Some twenty years ago, Sir Shridath 5 CARICOM VIEW 40TH ANNIVERSARY EDITION Ramphal and the West Indian Com- important manifestations of our strong dinary efforts we undertook, AIDS-relat- mission declared that it was “Time for links in this regard, and the EU, in par- ed deaths in the Caribbean have fallen by Action”. Twenty years later, in this era ticular, has contributed substantially to 50%, a fact duly noted in the UNAIDS of increasing globalization, ever-inten- the strength of the Secretariat and the Report for 2012. And CARICOM’s ef- sifying competition, and unprecedented Region. South-South co-operation, how- forts resulted in the United Nations hold- global instability, that call is as urgent ever, in this rapidly changing global land- ing its first ever Summit on Non-Com- as ever. The task of designating Change scape, must assume increasing importance municable Diseases in 2011. Managers in each Member State to en- if our priorities are to be the determining sure that decisions made by Regional factors in the shape and direction of the Were our journey to integration to be Heads are implemented in a timely and Region’s development efforts. Limited represented by a trend line, fluctuations effective manner is therefore key. And on economic bases and large debts must not would, without question, be apparent.
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