US$14M announced for CARICOM community development projects at India-CARICOM Summit

Prime Minister of India, Narendra Modi has announced a US$14M grant for community development projects in the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) and another  US$150M Line of Credit for solar, renewable energy and climate- change related projects.

Prime Minister Modi also announced the establishment of the Regional Center for Excellence in Information Technology in Georgetown, Guyana and the Regional Vocational Training Center in Belize by upgrading the existing India-funded centers in these countries.

A joint CARICOM/India task force which will develop and implement concrete plans to further advance trade and facilitate diversification in the region is also to be established.

The announcements were made at the India-CARICOM Summit in New York on Wednesday 25 September, 2019. The Summit was held on the sidelines of the 74th United Nations General Assembly, and was co-chaired by Prime Minister Modi, and the Chairman of CARICOM, the Hon. Allen Chastanet, Prime Minister of Saint Lucia.

India also expressed support to specialised capacity-building courses, training and deputation of Indian experts based on the needs and requirements of the CARICOM countries. PM Modi invited a Parliamentary delegation from CARICOM to visit India in the near future, a release from the Ministry of External Affairs of India said.

Funding for resilience against climate change, human resource development and health were among the key areas of discussion.

 The primary focus of the meeting was climate change, the blue economy and how India can partner with us in achieving our development goals.

The Caribbean Community is extremely grateful to the Government and people of India for their continued partnership and dialogue over the past years. We have enjoyed diplomatic and technical cooperation relations in a wide diversity of areas, which have brought direct benefit to our people in the areas of agriculture, health, disaster management, ICT, education and training. In many ways, this has been a shining example of South-South cooperation,” Prime Minister Chastanet said in a Facebook post.

On behalf of the Community, PM Chastanet said that he was “extremely grateful” for PM Modi’s support and leadership in helping further strengthen relations with Small Island Developing states like those in the Caribbean.

“We look forward to continuing the engagement and technical cooperation with our friends from India,” he said.

At the Summit, Prime Minister of St. Kitts and Nevis, Dr. the Hon. Timothy Harris made a compelling case for strengthening cooperation between small island states in the Caribbean and India in the health sector and other areas that were critical to their development.

“Having the support of India will become critical for some of our small island states,” the Prime Minister of St. Kitts and Nevis said as he noted that any deepening of ties between the Caribbean Community and India must focus on “improving the quality of life for our people,” PM Harris said.

PM Harris pointed to a scope for partnership, not just in traditional curative medicines and treatments, but also in complementary alternative medicines, which make up a booming sector of India’s economy. He added that CARICOM could learn from India’s venture into wellness and medical tourism.

PM Harris, who is CARICOM’s Lead Spokesman on Human Resources also said that it would be important to develop, in partnership with India, capacity-building interventions that plan, implement and execute high-quality training and education programs in the Community. He said such programmes would need to encompass a broad array of areas such as a full range of technical and vocational disciplines.

The Summit was the first meeting of PM Modi with CARICOM leaders in a regional format. It highlighted the steadily intensifying and deepening relations between India and partner countries of the Caribbean, not only in the bilateral, but also in the regional context, the release from India’s External Relations Ministry said. PM Modi, the release said, reiterated India’s firm commitment to strengthen its political, economic and cultural engagement with CARICOM. He recalled the presence of more than a million-strong Indian diaspora as a vibrant and enduring link of friendship with the Caribbean.

Source: CARICOM TODAY