UN, IMF, OAS heads for Caricom conference

UNITED Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon, managing director of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) Dominique Strauss-Kahn, and OAS Secretary General José Miguel Insulza are among the officials scheduled to attend the 31st Caricom Heads of Government Conference, which begins on July 4.

The official opening ceremony will take place on Sunday at the Half Moon Resort in Montego Bay, while the business sessions will take place at the Rose Hall Resort and Spa.

Jamaica House, in a release yesterday, said the UN, IMF and OAS heads will discuss a range of issues, including the international financial system and its impact on Caribbean Community states, the Millennium Development Goals, climate change, and crime and security with regional leaders.

Other issues expected to come up for discussion at the July 4-7 conference are updates on the implementation of the Caricom Single Market and Economy; the External Trade Negotiations and Caricom in the contemporary world. The conference will open with the usual fanfare associated with Caricom meetings and will hear remarks from several regional heads.

The conference will be presided over by Jamaica's Prime Minister Bruce Golding, who will assume the chairmanship of Caricom for the next six months.

Haiti's President Rene Preval was slated to be the chairman. However, as a result of the earthquake which devastated that country, the Caricom heads decided that Jamaica should assume the chair.