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Prime Minister Freundel Stuart??

Prime Minister Freundel Stuart leaves the island tomorrow, Thursday, June 30 to attend the 32nd Regular Meeting of the Conference of Heads of Government of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM). It takes place at the St. Kitts Marriott Resort and Royal Beach Casino, St.Kitts and Nevis, from July 1 to July 4.

Mr. Stuart is scheduled to make his first address as Prime Minister at the opening ceremony at the Sir Cecil Jacobs Auditorium, Eastern Caribbean Central Bank in Basseterre.

Other members of the delegation include Minister of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade, Senator Maxine McClean; Permanent Secretary in the Prime Minister’s Office, Keith Franklin; Permanent Secretary (Foreign Trade) Bentley Gibbs; and Permanent Secretary (Foreign Affairs) Charles Burnett.

Health as it affects the region is expected to be one of the main items down for discussion, as the region marks 10 years of concrete achievements in that sector, following the 2001 Nassau Declaration – the Health of the Region is the Wealth of the Region. CARICOM Heads are also expected to start preparing for the United Nations General Assembly High-Level Meeting on the Prevention and Control of Non-Communicable Diseases scheduled for New York in September.

Another highlight of the summit will be the ceremonial signing of the Inter-

Governmental Agreement to establish the Caribbean Public Health Agency as a legal entity.

There will also be addresses by outgoing chairman and Prime Minister of Grenada, Tillman Thomas; and incoming CARICOM chairman and Prime Minister of St.Kitts and Nevis, Dr.Denzil Douglas; President of Haiti, Michel Martelly, who will be attending his first summit; President of Suriname, Desir?? Bouterse; along with the Prime Minister of St Vincent and the Grenadines, Dr. Ralph Gonsalves.

During the conference, former CARICOM Secretary-General, Sir Edwin Carrington, will be conferred with the Order of the Caribbean Community (OCC), while the CARICOM Triennial Award for Women will be presented to Deputy Principal of the University of the West Indies, Cave Hill Campus, Professor Eudine Barriteau.

There will also be an exchange of views with the President of Colombia, Jos?? Miguel Insulza; Secretary-General of the Organisation of American States, Juan Manuel Santos Calder??n; Prime Minister of Saint Maarten, Sarah Wescot-Williams and Commissioner for Development, European Commission, Andris Piebalgs.

Regional Heads are also expected to examine major concerns and recommendations which emerged from the 22nd Meeting of the Prime Ministerial Sub-Committee on External Negotiations, as well as matters emerging from the 28th Meeting of the Community Council.

After the meeting, Prime Minister Stuart and other heads will travel to Margarita, Venezuela for the third summit of Heads of State and Government of Latin America and the Caribbean on Integration and Development, from July 4 to July 6.

During the second Latin America and Caribbean Summit on Integration and Development held in Canc??n, Mexico, in February 2010, Barbados supported the decision to merge the Rio group and the Latin America and Caribbean Summit Process (CALC) to form the new entity, the Community of Latin America and Caribbean States.

At that conference, Barbados and other Member States of CARICOM gave their commitment to participate in and support the process.

clashley@barbados.gov.bb

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