GEORGETOWN, Guyana, CMC – The Guyana-based Caribbean Community (CARICOM) Secretariat Friday said that the regional health sector is set to receive a welcome injection of support with the signing of a new cooperation agreement between the regional integration grouping and the government of Spain.
The agreement formalizes Spain’s Euro400,000 (One Euro=US$1.29 cents) contribution to “Strengthening Regional Leadership, Governance and Coordinated Action in Health to Address New and Existing Health Challenges in the Caribbean Community (CARICOM),” which is being implemented by the CARICOM Secretariat and the Trinidad-based Caribbean Public Health Agency (CARPHA).
The Secretariat said that the CARICOM Secretary-General, Dr. Carla Barnett, and the Ambassador of Spain to CARICOM, María Cristina Pérez Gutiérrez, signed the agreement during the 10th meeting of the Joint Technical Committee (JTC) of the CARICOM–Spain Joint Fund for Scientific and Technical Cooperation.
It said that during her opening remarks, co-chair of the meeting, Assistant Secretary-General, Foreign and Community Relations Directorate, Elizabeth Solomon underscored the value of the CARICOM-Spain partnership, noting “the CARICOM-Spain Joint Fund continues to play an important role in advancing regional priorities through cooperation that has evolved into a results-oriented programme of support that is both practical and responsive delivering tangible benefits to the people of the Caribbean Community.”
Gutiérrez, who also chaired the session, reaffirmed Spain’s commitment to CARICOM, stating “Spain values its partnership with CARICOM and remains committed to supporting initiatives that strengthen resilience, sustainability, and regional cooperation.”
The CARICOM Secretariat said the Committee considered two new regional project proposals, valued at US$700,000.
The first proposal targets “Greening Caribbean Ports Program (GCPP): Advancing Sustainable Maritime Infrastructure in Caribbean Small Island Developing States,” and is expected to be implemented by the Caribbean Center for Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency (CCREEE) and the Port Management Association of the Caribbean (PMAC).
The second proposal, titled “Strengthening the Caribbean Emergency Response Capabilities through the Next Level Regional Response Mechanism (RRM),” is expected to be implemented by the Caribbean Disaster Emergency Management Agency (CDEMA).
”Both sides reaffirmed the CARICOM–Spain Joint Fund as a key instrument for supporting priority regional initiatives and strengthening technical cooperation between CARICOM and Spain,” the Secretariat added.
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