#Nassau, July 8, 2019 – Bahamas – Prime Minister the Most Hon. Dr. Hubert Minnis will be a part of a CARICOM prime ministerial fact-finding mission to Haiti to inform regional leaders on the situation in that country.
CARICOM leaders are concerned about the
escalation of violence in Haiti. The fact-finding mission will also include the
prime ministers of St. Lucia and Jamaica.
The decision was taken at the Caribbean
Community’s 40th annual Heads of Government Meeting held in Gros
Islet, St. Lucia, 3-5 July.
The Prime Minister returned to The Bahamas
on Saturday, 6 July following discussions with regional leaders that covered
such issues as tourism, finance, blacklisting, the Caribbean economy, and the
Small Island Development States (SIDS) Resilience Foundation.
On the issue of blacklisting, CARICOM
leaders agreed to refine their strategy and approach by making greater efforts to
secure a more collaborative relationship with the European Union and the United
States on tax governance and related matters.
Caribbean leaders heard from chairman of
the CARICOM Commission on the Economy (CCE), Professor Avinash Persaud, who
stressed the need for CARICOM countries to develop more sustainable, resilient,
inclusive and equitable development.
Prime Minister Minnis agreed that
governments must find ways to empower people, by improving access to capital
and assets.
“[The Bahamas] is on the right track when
it comes to providing free education at the tertiary level, but we must find a
way for smaller companies to access more opportunities to grow their
businesses,” said the Prime Minister.
“A focus of my government, moving forward, will
be to ensure that smaller companies have access to contracts that were
previously monopolized by larger companies.
“The only way smaller companies can grow is
if they are given the opportunity to bid for larger contracts. This is
necessary if our people are to advance from poverty, to middle class, to
wealth.”
The Prime Minister held bilateral talks on
climate change and early education with the Prime Minister of Norway, Her
Excellency Erna Solberg, who also addressed CARICOM leaders as a Special Guest
of the Meeting.
The Prime Minister took part in a working
dinner between Heads of Government, United Nations Secretary-General, His
Excellency Antonio Guterres, who addressed the opening ceremony on 3 July, and
Prime Minister Solberg.
The Prime Minister’s Delivery Units of The
Bahamas and St. Lucia also took part in a learning exchange.
Prime Minister Minnis led a delegation to the conference which included Minister of Foreign Affairs, the Hon. Darren Henfield; Minister of Tourism, the Hon. Dionisio D’Aguilar; The Bahamas Ambassador to CARICOM, His Excellency Reuben Rahming; Executive Chairman, Water & Sewerage Corporation Mr. Adrian Gibson, MP; Senior Policy Advisor, Mr. Joshua Sears; COO of the Prime Minister’s Delivery Unit, Mrs. Viana Gardiner; and Director General, Ministry of Tourism, Mrs. Joy Jibrilu.
Release: Office of the Prime Minister