Saint Lucia’s new Ambassador to CARICOM, Her Excellency Elma Gene Isaac, presented her Letters of Accreditation to CARICOM Secretary-General, Ambassador Irwin LaRocque, on May 2, at the headquarters of the CARICOM Secretariat in Georgetown, Guyana.

Ambassador Isaac reaffirmed Saint Lucia’s commitment to advancing its obligations under the Single Market and the broader regional integration agenda, the Paris Agreement, and the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

CARICOM Secretary-General Ambassador Irwin LaRocque, in welcoming Ambassador Isaac during the accreditation ceremony, apprised her of the key role of the CARICOM Committee of Ambassadors into which she had been drafted. The establishment of the body, he noted, was a part of the reform process, given its functions to provide strategic advice and support to the community council and the Office of the Secretary-General. Members of the committee, he added, play a critical role in linking national and regional agendas and in facilitating the change process at the national level. They are responsible for identifying challenges to the implementation of decisions and making recommendations for resolutions. The Committee of Ambassadors was also important in implementing the CARICOM Strategic Plan for the period 2015-2019.

He also lauded the contribution of Ambassador Isaac’s predecessor, Ambassador June Soomer, whose vast working experience within the region enabled her to become the first female Secretary-General of the Association of Caribbean States (ACS). Ambassador LaRocque commended Saint Lucia’s leadership in discharging its responsibility for Sustainable Development within the CARICOM Quasi-Cabinet. This leadership, he said, helped the community’s efforts in achieving in the Paris Agreement, coordinated, balanced and integrated actions regarding the concerns of small island and low-lying coastal states.

There was an agreement during the discussions between the Secretary-General and Ms. Isaac after the accreditation ceremony that there was the need for a regional response to crime, commensurate with the new challenges to security within the region.