July 5, 2021

CARICOM Secretary-General Praises PM Rowley For Vaccine Advocacy For The Region

By Newsroom

Outgoing CARICOM Secretary-General Irwin LaRoque has extended gratitude to Prime Minister Dr. Keith Rowley for his advocacy for Covid-19 vaccines for the region over the past six months of him serving as CARICOM Chair.

The Secretary-General offered high praise while speaking at Monday morning’s CARICOM meeting.

“Over the last six months, our community has been led astutely by Dr. the Honorable Dr. Keith Rowley, the Prime Minister of Trinidad and Tobago. His commitment to his role has brought tangible results for our member states,” Secretary-General La Roque stated.

“He undertook a significant amount of vaccine advocacy on behalf of the community-  the results of which should be arriving in member states in the coming weeks,” he added.

A first shipment of 800,000 vaccines is expected to arrive in the region soon, from the African Vaccine Acquisition Trust.

At Monday’s meeting, while delivering his final address during his current tenure as CARICOM Chair, Dr. Rowley also extended gratitude to Mr. LaRoque for his assistance over the last six months. 

“Ambassador LaRocque, I have the distinct privilege of being the last Prime Minister with whom you would have worked through his entire term as Chairman. That puts me in the position to commend you for the sterling service you have provided during these past months when we were bombarded with various issues and challenges. You did not falter in your duty and have been a great asset to CARICOM, a rock – keeping the Community focussed and grounded,” Dr. Rowley said. 

The Prime Minister of Antigua and Barbuda, Gaston Browne assumed the Chairmanship of Caricom with effect from today and will serve for the next six months.

Browne has promised to tackle several issues including a regional cannabis market and will seek a reduction in airline travel taxes in the Caribbean. 

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