MARCH 7, 2008

President Leonel Fernandez
Distinguished Heads of State and Government
Ladies and Gentlemen,

I am delighted to be here in historic and beautiful Santo Domingo to participate in this the XX Summit of the Rio Group.

To you, Mr. Chairman, I wish to offer sincere appreciation and thanks for your warm welcome and hospitality.

And to our incoming Chairman, President Felipe Calderón of the United Mexican States, I extend our warm congratulations and good wishes for a successful tenure at the helm of our Group.

Mr Chairman,

It was just a year ago that Guyana hosted the XIX Summit of the Group. As I look back on the experience, I would like to think that a CARICOM country chairing the Rio Group has contributed in some small way to enlarging the political, economic and social dimensions of our common hemispheric home. Latin America and the Caribbean, long divided by different languages and separate histories, have now come, through dialogue and interaction, much closer than they have ever been to the goal of integration. At this Summit our host has focused our attention – and quite rightly so – on the question of energy, natural disasters and the disastrous impact which these can have on our development.
In the face of spiraling oil prices, we have no option but to find ways and means to lessen the financial and societal burden which we now bear. We should join forces to develop and invest in an energy infrastructure that would advance the objective of regional energy integration and regional energy security. In the process we need also to promote the use of cleaner and innovative technologies that would reduce the harm now done to our fragile environment.

Mr Chairman,
Climate change has made, without any doubt, our countries more vulnerable to natural disasters. The small islands of the Caribbean and some countries in Central America are regularly devastated by hurricanes. As a low-lying coastal state, my own country is particularly prone to frequent flooding which whenever it occurs, takes a disastrous toll on our economy. In 2005, we suffered one of our worst experiences which resulted, according to a study done by ECLAC, in a loss of the equivalent of 60% of GDP.

Faced with challenges such as these our countries are now obliged to divert our limited budgets to concentrate on emergency spending. With greater policy coordination and practical cooperation among ourselves, we may yet be able to cope with these phenomena. Guyana will be pleased to participate in the Working Groups set up to address these challenges as it can bring to the table the experience of the countries of CARICOM.

Mr. Chairman,

As we all know, development is a complex and multifaceted process so while we attempt to address these relatively “new” challenges, that are before us at this meeting we must not lose sight of the fundamental requirements for economic growth and the improvement in the quality of life of the people of the region. Foremost among these is the eradication of poverty which despite our many endeavours, remains unacceptably high. Much more remains to be done in all the major social sectors – such as education, healthcare and for our children’s welfare. It is therefore incumbent on us, both at the local and regional levels, to generate new policies and programmes of cooperation aimed at addressing these issues. Commitment must be translated to specific action.

Another important prerequisite for development is peace and good neighbourliness in our region. In fact it was one of the reasons why the Rio Group came into being. We must all therefore recommit ourselves to these ideals and act accordingly – and I do hope that this spirit pervades this meeting.

Mr. Chairman,

Ahead of us are several important development fora in which many of these development concerns can be advanced. These include the mid-term review of the Millennium Development Goals, the Financing for Development Conference scheduled to be held in Doha later this year and of course, hopefully, the conclusion of the WTO Trade Negotiations. Experience has shown that our coordination of strategies on broad policy matters if not on all specific issues, can and does serve to enhance the negotiating power of the Rio Group in international affairs. It is in our interest to rally around those issues which are of vital concern to our common future and, through greater consultation and coordination, formulate more broad-based strategies to reach our goals.

Mr. Chairman,

Regrettably, I will have to leave Santo Domingo this afternoon to attend an inter-sessional meeting of the CARICOM Heads of Government which is already in progress in the Bahamas. On the agenda are many of the same issues which will be ventilated here. I will make it my duty not only to brief my colleagues on the concerns of the Rio Group but also to advocate for a stronger collaboration between our two communities. Our continued partnership can only redound to our mutual benefit.

Let me in conclusion wish us all a most productive Summit meeting.