A team from the Commonwealth Secretariat, led by the Secretary-General, the Rt Hon Patricia Scotland KC, is in Guyana for the 46th Regular Meeting of the Conference of CARICOM Heads of Government.
This is part of a series of regional meetings that she is joining in preparation for the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting later this year.
Among the matters to be spoken about at the four-day CARICOM meeting are energy, regional security, climate resilience, as well as nutrition, and food security. In Guyana, The Secretary-General will participate with Caribbean leaders directly and as a group.
The Commonwealth Secretariat team will also inform the leaders of upcoming Commonwealth events, ministerial meetings, and possible areas of assistance and collaboration.
This year, there are three significant Commonwealth milestones. Commonwealth Day will be celebrated on the 11th of March 2024, the Secretariat will start the commemoration of the 75th anniversary, of the London Declaration in April, that gave birth to the modern Commonwealth. The Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) will be held in Samoa in October. This is the first time that CHOGM will be held in a Pacific small island developing state.
By seeing the close relationship with CARICOM, the Commonwealth Secretary-General said that, as a Caribbean person, every meeting is like coming home to family. In specific, I am glad to be back in Guyana to attend this important summit.
I also look forward to rich discussions, hearing about areas of concern, and learning about recent successes. For us at the Secretariat, CARICOM is a treasured and strong partner.
She also thanked the CARICOM Secretary-General, Dr Carla Barnett, and Dr Mohamed Irfaan Ali, Guyana’s President, for giving her the chance to attend the meeting.
The Commonwealth Secretary-General added that it was an important part of her role to be cognizant of the issues of the member states and to maintain close ties to completely support the work done on behalf of countries. Commenting on the upcoming Commonwealth summit in Samoa, she also said that, In October, we go to CHOGM as a united and committed collective. As we give our opinions and carry out the directives of our member states, we have to listen to their worries and ideas for the future.
The CARICOM meeting started on the 25th of February 2024 and will close on the 28th. Twelve of the CARICOM member states are part of the 56 member countries of the Commonwealth. Earlier in February, she also joined the 37th Ordinary Session of the Assembly of the African Union (AU).
Soon after the CARICOM meeting, the Secretary-General will leave for Zanzibar for the biennial Commonwealth Law Ministers Meeting (CLMM), from 4 to 8 March 2024. Hosted by the Government of the United Republic of Tanzania, the meeting will mainly focus on the theme ‘Technology and Innovation: How digitalization paves the way for the development of people-centered access to justice’.
In April, The Commonwealth Secretary-General will also be in the Caribbean for the 35th Caribbean Association of Insurance and Financial Advisors (CARAIFA) conference in her home country of Dominica and the 4th International Conference on Small Island Developing States (SIDS4) in Barbuda and Antigua in May.
