 The signing ceremony for the General Technical Cooperation Agreement between the Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture and the Taiwan International Cooperation and Development Fund marks a significant stride forward in advancing economic and social development, alleviating poverty, and reinforcing human resource development in St. Lucia. The signing ceremony underscored the commitment of both ICA and the ICDF to address the specific needs of the nation efficiently, leveraging their expertise in agriculture, technology, natural resource management, and technical cooperation to drive original progress. Secretary-General of the Taiwan ICDF Ambassador Charles Lee says this partnership aims to capitalize on their shared knowledge and resources to boost various sectors, ultimately improving the quality of life of St. Lucia and the wider region. As economic stagnation, climate change and governance challenges cause price inflation and shortages in the food and energy sectors. These situations create extraordinary hardship for those people already experiencing poverty and hunger. To better prepare for and react to these issues, the Taiwan ICDF and ICA are broadening our cooperation from our previous work in agriculture and food security. To also include education, gender equality, and small and medium-sized enterprise development. The agreement covers a wide range of areas of cooperation, with particular emphasis on the development of value chains and clusters, food safety and quality, quality and management systems, technology transfer, climate smart technologies, and building innovation capacity. Representative of the Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture, ICA in St. Lucia, and the Eastern Caribbean states, Greg Rawlins, stressed the importance of innovative agricultural practices in addressing food security and economic sustainability. We remain fully committed to building upon the excellent collaboration with Taiwan ICDF within the framework of this agreement over the next four years, to not only address the pressing challenges of agriculture development, but also to unlock the vast potential that this sector holds, and facilitate the sector in playing an important multifunctional role to the economy of St. Lucia and other countries in the region. Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries, Food Security and Rural Development, Hon. Alfred Prospe, expressed the government's enthusiasm for the potential of this partnership to enhance the nation's agricultural and technological sectors, aligning with St. Lucia's sustainable development and economic growth goals. It is with great pleasure that I serve not just as a witness to this historic moment, but in my capacity as Minister, I pledge to do my very best to ensure that the anticipated benefits reach the intended beneficiaries. That is the fishers and farmers of St. Lucia. When I address you again, I will be better placed to say with assurance that our target goal for 25 percent by 2025 is within reach, and that we are seeing significant decrease in our staggering food import bill. The partnership between EECA and the Taiwan Technical Mission brings together a wealth of experience, innovation and knowledge that both organizations possess. The result-oriented collaboration between these two entities will undoubtedly have a transformative impact on the agri-food systems of St. Lucia and the wider Caribbean region. Minister Prospe says that in pursuit of common goals and reciprocal development, the General Technical Cooperation Agreement between EECA and ICDF represents a significant milestone with the potential to greatly impact St. Lucia's social and economic growth and inspire future regional collaborations. From the Communications Unit of the Ministry of Agriculture, I am Manicia Antoine reporting.