New CARICOM Secretary-General Dr. Carla Barnett, a Belizean, takes up office on Monday

By Aaron Humes: The Caribbean Community (CARICOM) secretariat in Georgetown, Guyana, has announced plans for Monday’s installation ceremony of Dr. Carla Barnett of Belize as eighth Secretary-General of CARICOM. The ceremony begins at 10 a.m. Eastern Caribbean time, 8 a.m. Belize time.

CARICOM chairman and Prime Minister of Antigua and Barbuda Gaston Browne will make the official welcome and greetings from the Conference of CARICOM Heads of Government.

Dr. Barnett will address the Ceremony and is expected to outline her vision and indicate some matters that will occupy her immediate attention.

As first woman to become CARICOM Secretary-General, Dr. Barnett blazes a long trail, starting at the Caribbean Development Bank as Country Economist and later Vice President, Operations; then Deputy-Secretary of CARICOM (1997 -2002); the first woman appointed as Deputy Governor of the Central Bank, and as Financial Secretary; and most recently a Senator and Minister of State for Finance and Labour.

She is a long-time advocate for gender-equality, “not only because it is the right thing to do to create a more stable and equitable society, but also because gender equality is good economic policy”.

Dr. Barnett takes over from Dominican Economist Ambassador Irwin LaRocque who served from 2011-2021. She follows in order Frederick Cozier of Barbados 1968-1969 (CARIFTA); William Demas of Trinidad and Tobago 1969-1973 (CARIFTA), 1973-1974; Alister McIntyre of Grenada 1974-1977; Kurleigh King of Barbados 1978-1983; Roderick Rainford of Jamaica 1983-1992; Edwin Carrington of Trinidad and Tobago 1992-2010; and LaRocque.

Dr. Barnett’s Installation Ceremony will be streamed live via Youtube. It will also be live-streamed on the CARICOM Secretariat’s Facebook page.

Our congratulations to Dr. Carla Barnett and best wishes for a productive time at the head of the region.

Advertise with the mоѕt vіѕіtеd nеwѕ ѕіtе іn Belize ~ We offer fully customizable and flexible digital marketing packages. Your content is delivered instantly to thousands of users in Belize and abroad! Contact us at mаrkеtіng@brеаkіngbеlіzеnеwѕ.соm or call us at 501-612-0315.

© 2021, BreakingBelizeNews.com. Content is copyrighted and requires written permission for reprinting in online or print media. Theft of content without permission/payment is punishable by law.