BRAND NEW YEAR STATEMENT BY THE INCOMING CHAIRMAN OF THE CARIBBEAN LOCAL COMMUNITY (CARICOM) HONOURABLE PHILIP DAVIS, KC, PRIME MINISTER OF THE COMMONWEALTH OF THE BAHAMAS

A Prosperous and Productive 2023 to you all!
We usher in a most auspicious year for both the Caribbean Neighborhood (CARICOM) and The Bahamas, as we both celebrate our 50th Anniversaries.
Our Community can be making great strides in the direction of ensuring food and nutrition safety. And we are on track to lessen our food import bill by 25 per cent simply by 2025.
Operating alone, none of us will be able to overcome the existential threat posed by climate modify. Working alone, none of all of us will be able to fully seize the particular opportunities of the new world order, where old certainties are fast disappearing, and brand new technologies favour the agile and the clever.
This New 12 months holds much promise for the Caribbean Community. Over the next 50

With the help of international partners, we furthermore want to make further progress on this
many years, we will continue to seek to strengthen our partnership, so the lives of all of our people are made better.
Our thanks to the President of Suriname, His Excellency Chandrikapersad Santokhi, for his superb stewardship of the Community over the past 6 months. With the help and assistance of my colleague Mind of Government, I look forward to building on his legacy.
We are at a tipping point, where it is imperative that we develop and strengthen the
A Happy New Year to you all!
We all share common histories— trials, traumas, and triumphs. As regional neighbours, we have, through the years, encountered many of the exact same hurdles, beat down the exact same walls, and conquered the same challenges. And indeed, we are obligated to repay it to ourselves and each other to recognize that we are usually and always have been in this together.
foundations of the past 50 years. There is currently much on the agenda.
We will also continue to work closely and strenuously with other Small Island plus Low-lying Coastal Developing States (SIDS) to continue our advocacy on the many issues relating to climate change, which influences us all. In particular, we will strongly push for the ‘Loss plus Damage Fund’ agreed from COP27 in Egypt, to become made fully operational.
plans to increase the use of renewable energy. This is not only an alternative to expensive fossil fuel-based energy but a crucial means of reducing carbon in the fight against climate change.
At home, we are determined to assist Haiti resolve its challenges. The beleaguered people associated with Haiti desperately need respite from the political, economic and security crises which have swallowed up the country. We will continue to support all stakeholders to hobby a Haitian-led solution. Just for CARICOM, the resolution of the immediate crisis will be a initial step towards the crafting of the long-term sustainable development policy for Haiti.
The Secretary-General from the United Nations has assured us of his continuing assistance for our advocacy to pursue debt relief, reform of International Financial Institutions, and to establish a Multi-Dimensional Vulnerability Index for fairer criteria for access to concessional development funding.
For our Community, this milestone arrives at a time when regional co-operation has never been more urgent and necessary. The shock associated with and response to the Covid-19 pandemic was a stark illustration of the limitations of operating alone.

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