By Vishani Ragobeer in Los Angeles
Caribbean leaders continue to lament the harsher impact world crises have on the region in an attempt to galvanise international support but Guyana’s President Dr. Irfaan Ali says that an ongoing revolution within the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) is helping to fix those woes.
The Head of State gave the assurance that CARICOM was pursuing a multifaceted plan for regional development during a diaspora mixer held in Los Angeles, California on Friday.
This plan, he explained, includes protecting countries from the harsh effects of climate change, guaranteeing the region’s food security and cushioning the impact of external shocks on the region.
There is increased momentum to pursue this plan due to the impact the COVID-19 pandemic had on Caribbean countries. President Ali detailed how difficult it was for states to access life-saving vaccines readily and more recently, the challenge of grappling with price hikes.
The region, President Ali said, does not want to succumb to those challenges again.
“These are the things we are fighting to change at the international level but we cannot fight to change these things at the international level when we cannot lead the change at the local level in our countries.
“We have no moral authority to fight for it on the international stage, if we don’t believe in fixing it in our own countries,” President Ali said.
And with that mindset among the regional heads, he posited, “We are leading a new revolution in CARICOM where we want to fix our problems.”
Already, the region is pursuing an aggressive food production and supply agenda that is led by Guyana. Altogether, CARICOM states hope that the more than US$5 billion annual food import bill can be slashed with increased food production and the removal of intra-regional trade barriers.
Climate financing, be it through contributions from developed countries or more responsive lending arrangements, is another strong pursuit of CARICOM.
Prime Minister of Barbados Mia Mottley, who joined Friday’s mixer, also assured the gathering that regional heads were committed to working together to confront the myriad of challenges badly affecting the region.
She, however, called on Caribbean people whether they live in the region or in the diaspora to also help pursue solutions to the region’s woes.
“…we feel that if we’re going to get the kind of efforts needed, moving at the pace that we need it, then it can’t be governments alone,” the Barbadian leader said.
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