 In the future, some bound in chains. Battles waged and fought through victory and pain. By test of their courage, our freedom was gained. To those convicts, the heroes of lands in the sun. We vowed to join hands and to focus on building one Caribbean. Raise your voice. Good morning, ladies and gentlemen, and welcome to the Karikom flag-raising ceremony. And welcome to the Graham-Louisey Administrative Building parking lot. To begin our proceedings today, I would like to welcome Reverend Seth Ampadou, Superintendent Minister of the Methodist Church of St. Lucia, in St. Lucia. You just joined us at the podium, Minister. Please let us bow our heads as we go to God in prayer. In the name of God, the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Amen. Father, we want to acknowledge your presence this morning. We thank you for life that you have spared. We thank you, O God, that we are on the land of the living and we can give you thanks and praise. We thank you by your grace we have seen yet another day. And we agree with the psalmist who says this is the day the Lord has made and we will rejoice and be glad in it, O God. Father, you know we cannot do it without you. Therefore, Lord, as we gather, O God, to raise the flag, O God of Karikom, we commit the proceedings, O God, in your hands. We ask you to take absolute control that whatever we are going to do, O God, will bring honor and glory to your holy name. We pray, O God, for our sister country, O God. We ask, O God, for your special blessings upon all member states of Karikom that, Lord, your blessings will continue to flow upon us. Father, you know the challenges that confront us. We pray that, Lord, you pour your shower of blessings, O God, upon all the nations comprising this Karikom, O God. We ask, O God, various prime ministers and leaders of various countries. We ask, O God, for your special blessings upon them. We ask for wisdom, knowledge, understanding, even as they govern their various countries, O God. We pray for the leadership of Karikom. We ask, O God, for your special blessings upon them. Continue to give wisdom, knowledge, understanding, even, O God, as they try to bring all members together, all their work are in your hands. Father, today, as we raise the flag, we pray that let it be a symbol of our unity. Let it be a symbol of peace in Karikom. Let it be a symbol of love. Let it be a symbol, O God, that will bind all of us together, O God. We pray, O God, for our various communities. You know the kind of poverty. You know the kind of crime that is going on in our region. But we know the power that we have in you. So, Lord, our various communities are in your hands. We ask, O God, for your presence, that, Lord, your peace will continue to prevail among us, O God. We want to thank you this morning. Have your own way. And let your perfect will be done in this ceremony. We thank you through your Saint Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen. And amen. I'd like to invite everyone to please remain standing while I welcome Mark Aleister Hunt. He's the Karikom Youth Ambassador, and he's here to perform the national anthem with his steel fan. Let's welcome him. Thank you very much, Mr. Hunt. Honorable Sarah Flood Bobra, Ministry of Responsibility for External Affairs, her Excellency, Elma Jean Isaac, Ambassador for St. Lucia to Karikom and OECS, her Excellency, Dr. Jocelyn Fletcher, Ambassador for diaspora affairs, Mr. Mark Aleister Hunt, Karikom Youth Ambassador, and Ms. Esby, Ms. Esby Francis, Karikom Youth Ambassador. And welcome once again to the Caribbean flag-raising ceremony and we're here at the Graham-Louisey Administrative Building, the parking lot, and we will witness firsthand with our cadets. Thank you very much, St. Lucia Cadet Co., for raising the Karikom flag this morning. This ceremony will be held, or is being held in commemoration of the numerous achievements by the Karikom community, Karikom, such as the Caribbean Single Market and Economy, CSME, which is an essential element of integration in the community. The CSME is the creation of a single market and economic space among the Karikom member states, as opposed to separate and distinct markets and economies. It allows for free movement of Karikom goods, services, people, and capital, sorry, throughout the Caribbean community through the removal of the fiscal people, fiscal, legal, physical, technical, and administrative barriers. So that was just a little bit of a context as to why we're here today. And to welcome us and to start the proceedings, I want to welcome Miss Esvie Francis, Karikom Youth Ambassador. Let's welcome her to the podium. Honourable Sarah Floodboebra, Minister, Department of External Affairs, Her Excellency, Elma Jean Isaac, Ambassador to Karikom and OECS, Reverend Seth Ampedou, Superintendent Minister of the Methodist Church in St. Lucia, members of the public who have joined us via our live stream, I bid you good morning. As a Karikom Youth Ambassador, it is a privilege to welcome you to this Karikom flag raising ceremony as we celebrate Karikom Day 2020. Today, we invite you to celebrate your place, our place as part of the community, as part of Karikom. The Caribbean community has achieved many milestones from its inception 47 years ago when the Treaty of Shagaramas came into existence. Karikom continues to work assiduously to maintain its mandate of promoting a unified Caribbean. This can be seen as our mistress of settlement as previously mentioned through the implementation of the Karikom Single Market and Economy, CSME, which works to deepen our economic integration in the region. And of course, as well, it can be seen through the Caribbean Disaster Emergency Management Agency, CEDEMA, whose primary mandate is to coordinate and to facilitate comprehensive disaster management in participating states. Today, I would like to give a special thank you and applause to UCEDEMA for the efforts made in handling the region's COVID-19 crisis. Karikom aims to build a Caribbean that is inclusive, regardless of color, class, creed, gender or sexual orientation. A Caribbean that is resilient amidst great strife. A Caribbean that is competitive and one that shares in cultural, social and economic prosperity. As we celebrate, I welcome you today to pay homage to those who have gone before us and to focus on becoming part of the pillars that hold up our Caribbean. Ladies and gentlemen, with our sister islands, we have shared great bonds for the past 47 years. I welcome you today to celebrate in those bonds, to celebrate in that unity and in our celebration, to look towards a future of deeper connections, profound harmony and more valuable opportunities for our people. Once again, I welcome you. Thank you. Thank you very much for the warm welcome, Ms. Francis. I didn't get to greet our viewers at home, joining us via NTN. Thank you so much for joining us this morning. In addition to celebrating the achievements of Karikom, the ceremony will serve as one of the preliminary activities in the I Am Karikom Communications Campaign, which is geared towards providing information and increasing awareness and the understanding of Karikom. Its people, geography, institutions, governance structure, policies, plans among the citizens of the community. At this point in time, I'd like to welcome her Excellency, Elma Jean Isaac, Ambassador to Karikom and the OECS. Thank you, Madam Mistress of Ceremonies. Honourable Sarah Floodbobram Minister, Reverend Seth Ampadou, Superintendent Minister of the Methodist Church here in St. Lucia. Karikom Youth Ambassadors, Makala Stehunt and Esby Francis, Staff of the Office of the Prime Minister, and in particular of the Regional Integration Unit, to whom I owe a particular debt of gratitude. St. Lucia's hair and in the diaspora. People of the Caribbean, good morning. When I thought about the milestone we marked today, as the first day on which we begin flying the Karikom flag together with our Karikom sisters, and alongside our national flag, it occurred to me that it is often only in documenting history that we recognize that we have, in fact, made history. Similarly, it is often in reflecting on or documenting the Karikom story that we realize how much we have made history, how out of a diverse people, the majority of whom walked forth from the fiery furnace of enslavement, displacement, dispossession, and disenfranchisement, and who stood against every effort to dehumanize them has emerged this great Caribbean civilization of which we are apart. But we are at once the fabric and the weaver at the loom because our community continues to evolve, and each of us shaped by our region's history has an integral role to play in molding Karikom's future. It is almost 50 years since this journey began on July 4th, 1973. And like most 50-year-olds, the Caribbean community boasts sufficient youthful vigor to continue to imbue life and energy into our project, while tempering exuberance with the kind of wisdom that is born of trials, hard knocks, and varied experience. There is no doubt that as a community of sovereign states, we sometimes have to manage a tug of war between national and regional interests. That is inevitable. But what is most important is that we never lose sight of why we have embarked upon this journey and ultimately the kind of heritage that we wish to create for future generations. Much has been made recently of expressed differences on the approach to regional transport and some aspects of foreign policy. Much should similarly be made of the new opportunities inherent in determining the best model for transportation as we continue to develop a single space. In foreign policy, geopolitics in our colonial history have led to an emphasis of our relationships with the United States of America, Canada, the United Kingdom, and to a lesser extent with Latin America. But we must seek new partners even while we try to maintain our traditional links. The visit to the region in 2019 by the presidents of Kenya and Ghana, the first country in sub-Saharan Africa to gain independence, and of which Reverend Ampadu is a national, and the agreement to establish a diplomatic presence in Kenya and deepen ties with the African Union are cause for celebration. For decades we have spoken about forging closer bonds with Africa. How instructive it is that in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic, a practical partnership between the African Union and CARICOM has been established, permitting our member states' access to the Africa Medical Supplies Platform to procure certified medical equipment such as personal protection equipment, clinical management devices, and diagnostic kits. As the CARICOM group, there is more that binds us than divides us, and it is our commonality of objective and purpose that should propel the Caribbean community forward. In the preamble to the revised Treaty of Shagaramas, member states of the community articulate their desire to enhance the participation of their peoples, and in particular the social partners in the integration movement. Now this participation necessarily presumes that adequate information in simple form would be available to our people as well as the platforms via which we can capture their inputs. CARICOM has an impact on our daily lives. Every year, since about 1979, our students sit exams administered by the Caribbean Examinations Council, CXC. Every year at this time, the Caribbean Disaster Emergency Management Agency, SEDEMA, moves into high gear as facilitator, driver, coordinator, and motivating force for the promotion and engineering of comprehensive disaster management in our states. The Caribbean Public Health Agency, CARFA, has played a lead role in staring the region through COVID-19, and I dare say successfully so. The organs such as the Council for Finance and Planning, Trade and Economic Development, Foreign and Community Relations, Human and Social Development, comprise ministers of government and other representatives of our member states, and they drive the community agenda. And in so doing, they make decisions that affect how we trade, which categories of citizen can move freely within the single market, how we conduct foreign affairs, address matters relating to youth, education, culture, and finance. We need to influence those decisions, as CARICOM citizens. This is our community, and every citizen should feel compelled to participate. Bearing this in mind, the Regional Integration Unit in the office of the Prime Minister is working with the CARICOM Secretariat to implement an I am CARICOM communications campaign, which is geared towards increasing awareness and understanding of the community, our people, geography, institutions, government structure, policies, and plans. To launch the I am CARICOM campaign and in celebration of CARICOM Day 2020, the unit has planned a number of activities, including the unveiling of the I am CARICOM photo frame, marking today as CARICOM Colors Day, interviews, online games, and the proper booth where persons can obtain information on CARICOM's role, contributions, activities, strategies, and the development of the community's strategic plan. In designing the 2015-2019 strategic plan, the community made a significant effort to include as broad a cross-section of citizens as possible. A similar participatory approach is being used in crafting the strategic plan that will govern the movement post-2020. And this is with consultations in all member states. So work began here in St. Lucia with meetings of the Interministerial Consultative Committee and the Business and Labor Advisory Committee. We are currently in the process of identifying I am CARICOM campaign ambassadors who support us in engaging you at members of the public via their online presence in sharing the message of CARICOM and eliciting your participation in the integration process. At present, you can reach the Regional Integration Unit on our social media platforms. You can follow us on Twitter and Instagram. You're at Ambassador EGI and on Facebook at riu.saintluccia at riu.slu and elma.gene. Take a look at our Caribbean Connection Newsletter. You can write to us as well at riu.opmgmail.com. We thank those of you who have been communicating with us and we want to encourage everyone else to do so. The Psalmist writes at Psalm 133 it is very good and pleasant when kindred live together in unity. Caribbean family, let us unite to work on this regional agenda and let's continue to make history together. Thank you. Thank you very much Ambassador. Just want to reflect on three statements that stood out for me and I think we should all carry first as we move forward this week. This is our community and we must all be compelled to participate. There is more that binds us than divide us. May we never forget the why of Caricum and that is to create a heritage and legacy that we can leave behind for future generations to enjoy. Ambassador mentioned today is well, Caricum colors day and the Caricum colors are light blue representing the sky and dark blue representing the sea of the Caribbean. Yellow representing the sun and green representing the vegetation of the region. The two inter, well it's going to, it's going on to describe the Caricum logo but I will go ahead and talk about it. The two interlocking black seas in the form of broken links of a chain represent the unity of the Caribbean community members as well as a break from the colonial past. At this time, I would like to welcome to the podium to address us the Honorable Sara Floodboebra Minister in the Ministry of External Affairs. Good morning everyone on this beautiful Caricum day. Your Excellency Elma Jean Isaac Ambassador to Caricum and the OECS Reverend Seth Ampedou Superintendent Minister of the Methodist Church in St. Lucia Caricum Youth Ambassadors Office of the Ambassador for Caricum and the OECS Members of the St. Lucia Cadet Corps Members of the media and everyone joining us today by social media whether in St. Lucia Caricum or indeed around the world Good day. I take this opportunity to wish all of you a happy Caricum day. Today is indeed a happy day. Caricum was established on July 4th, 1973 with the overarching objective of supporting a common market coordinating foreign policy and promoting cooperation among the member states of the Caribbean. I wish to take this moment to commend Ambassador Elma Jean Isaac and her office for the work done by the Regional Integration Unit to date and in particular for spearheading the I am Caricum campaign the broader framework under which this celebratory event is being held today. As we raise this symbolic flag it is of paramount importance that we remember that this is not just a formality but that the very opportunity to witness this flag soaring high is testimony to the progress that we have made collectively as a region. We have grown and matured tremendously since the dismantling of the West Indian Federation and Dr. Eric Williams' historic words of from one from ten lives not. Words which today in this unprecedented pandemic and on the cusp of an enigmatic paradigm shift appeal to the need for our member states of Caricum to stick together not just as economic and social partners but as a family. The unfortunate emergence of the novel virus COVID-19 demands the highest level of togetherness and dependency on each other if we are to combat the myriad challenges of this pandemic. Next year will commemorate 20 years since the historic signing of the revised treaty of Chagoramas and as often as is the case with milestones this juncture allows us the opportunity to reflect on some of the successes of the community and conduct introspection as to how we can improve its functioning in light of our similar challenges moving forward. We have taken strides in fulfilling the mandate of Caricum to promote economic integration and cooperation amongst members with actions such as the implementation of the common external tariff and the widening of the categories eligible for free movement of skills and labor. Together we have tackled imbalanced and unfair global systems analogous to the parable of David and Goliath whether it be through our well orchestrated advocacy on relaxing the criteria to international funding to reflect a cognizance of the economic and physical vulnerabilities of small island developing states or strategically lobbying the removal of member states from black lists by entities even after commitments have been made to alter domestic legislation or when current practices are consistent with internationally approved recommendations. Our efforts at synchronizing policy has transcended the borders of individual seats echoing similar sentiments in its national fora and is now manifested in tangible initiatives such as the pending establishment of a Caricum diplomatic mission in Kenya an opportunity which St. Lucia intends to capital capitalize on an adventure which gives credence to the fulfillment of Caricum's mandate to coordinate foreign policy. Recently my constituents of Castry Central would have heard me elaborate on how growing up my family dynamic was characterized by an intolerance for boastfulness. We work but we recognize that it is God who accomplishes all things and so with Caricum like all families Caricum possesses its distinguished idiosyncrasies and likewise its challenges. The most recently confronted challenge has been access to equitable and affordable regional travel and in that regard I am pleased to announce that in response to the current pandemic and to contribute to the regional efforts to bolster intra-regional travel the Cabinet of Ministers of St. Lucia intends to approve the reduction of departure tax on the regional travel to $35. This is one among a number of other achievements realized and what we hope to accomplish in the coming years as a community. As I conclude I wish to remind all of us of the values that Caricum epitomizes which are reflected in the Caricum Charter for Civil Society. As we focus on the current theme for the campaign I am Caricum Let us ensure that we all recognize that together we are Caricum for if ever we needed to remain as one to stare the difficult course ahead it is now. While our heads of governments of Caricum continue to chart the decisions that will successfully carry us forward may we always do our part each of us as individual citizens to make this great community of nations the most teller and resilient in the world. On behalf of the Honorable Prime Minister Alan Shastney the government and people of Saint Lucia may I take this opportunity to wish all Saint Lucians and all of Caricum Happy Caricum Day. I thank you. Thank you very much Minister and I think their reduction in departure tax to $35 is news that we will all welcome and we know that this will all go well to jumpstart travel throughout the region so thank you very much Minister for that amazing news and blessing us with that message. And now for our feature presentation I'd like to invite everyone to please stand as we witness the raising of the Caricum flag this morning and today the flag will be raised by two cadets from the Saint Lucia Cadet Corps and while the flag is raising or while the flag is rising the Caricum song would be played. It's fitting that I read the description once again to remind the Caricum colors are light blue representing the sky the dark blue representing the sea of the Caribbean yellow representing the sun and green representing the vegetation of the region the two interlocking black colored seas in the form of broken links of a chain represent the unity of the Caribbean community members as well as a break from our colonial past so once again let's just give a round of applause for seeing the Caricum flag rise today and we pray that we never forget the why and it continues to fly high. At this point in time I'd like to call on signal Matthew Makarovic Makarovic to give the vote of thanks and the closing remarks let's welcome her to the podium. Good morning everyone Honorable Sarah Flag Bobra Minister in the Ministry for External Affairs Her Excellency Elma Jean Isaac Ambassador to Caricum and OECS Ex-B-Francis Caricum Youth Ambassador Macalester Hunt Caricum Youth Ambassador Reverend Seth Ampoulou Superintendent Minister of the Methodist Church Ladies and Gentlemen Today is a very special day for all of us as we celebrate our Caricum membership and today we can also look forward to the beginning of the I Am Caricum Communications Campaign where you will have the opportunity to partake in a host of public communications activities I aimed at informing you of your rights as Caricum Nationals and the achievements of Caricum thus far. Now Helen Keller once said alone we can do so little together we can do so much and with this quote in mind I would like to take this opportunity on behalf of the Regional Integration Unit in the Office of the Prime Minister to say thank you to everyone who worked tirelessly to ensure that this flag raising ceremony is a success. We would like to say a special thank you to her Ex-NC Elmer Jean Isaac for her leadership and guidance in this process. We wish to say thank you to Reverend Ampoulou for his presence and presence here today. We wish to say thank you to our youth ambassadors for their unwavering support and dedication towards the promotion of Caricum. We wish to say thank you to our Masters of Ceremony for excellent work that you have done as the MC. Last but certainly not least we wish to say thank you to all our viewers who have tuned in today to watch the Caricum Flag Raising Ceremony. Your participation here is greatly appreciated. Thank you, thank you all. Thank you very much, Signa and we have come to the end of our flag raising ceremony the Caricum Flag Raising Ceremony. Once again I want to thank each and every one of you for being here with us today. To those of you joining us via NTN, good morning and thank you and to everyone, blessed day and happy Caricum Day. The heroes of lands in the soul to join hands and to focus on building one Caribbean. Raise your voice.