News Releases

Where is CARICOM going?

For Release Upon Receipt - September 30, 2013

St. Augustine


CARICOM Secretary-General to present Distinguished Open Lecture at UWI 

ST. AUGUSTINE, Trinidad & Tobago – Ambassador Irwin LaRocque, Secretary-General of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) will deliver a Distinguished Open Lecture, discussing the status of the regional integration process and his vision for the future of CARICOM on October 3, 2013 at 5.30pm at the Daaga Auditorium, The University of the West Indies (UWI) St. Augustine Campus. 

The lecture forms part of a new series at The UWI St. Augustine, focussing on CARICOM: exploring its usefulness to the region and its future on its 40th anniversary celebrations. In his presentation, Ambassador LaRocque will trace the evolution of the integration process (the Federation, CARIFTA, Common Market, West Indian Commission, CSME) and discuss CARICOM today:  what we set out to do; what we have done and where we are. He will also delve into his vision for the regional body, which includes active stakeholder involvement in integration, across youth, the private sector, media and civil society. 

Ambassador Irwin LaRocque, a national of Dominica, is the seventh Secretary-General of CARICOM.  He is firmly committed to deepening integration within CARICOM and advancing cooperation within the wider Caribbean. The Ambassador is the former Assistant Secretary-General for Trade and Economic Integration at the CARICOM Secretariat, a position he assumed in September 2005.  Prior to that, he served, with distinction, at senior management levels in the Public Service of Dominica for over 18 years. 

He has been a firm believer that the CSME cannot succeed without the advancement of the social sector, such as human resource development and youth. Ambassador LaRocque has managed diplomatic negotiations with third countries and international development partners. He has a wealth of experience in management, public administration, economic development, trade, foreign affairs and diplomacy. 

The lecture is free, and open to the public. All are invited.

 For further information, please contact The Marketing and Communications Office, UWI St. Augustine at 662-2002 ext. 83726 or via email at marketing.communications@sta.uwi.edu.  

End 

About The UWI

Over the last six decades, The University of the West Indies (UWI) has evolved from a fledgling college in Jamaica with 33 students to a full-fledged University with over 40,000 students. Today, UWI is the largest and most longstanding higher education provider in the English-speaking Caribbean, with main campuses in Barbados, Jamaica and Trinidad and Tobago, and Centres in Anguilla, Antigua & Barbuda, The Bahamas, Belize, British Virgin Islands, Cayman Islands, Dominica, Grenada, Montserrat, St Christopher (St Kitts) & Nevis, St Lucia, and St Vincent & the Grenadines. UWI recently launched its Open Campus, a virtual campus with over 50 physical site locations across the region, serving over 20 countries in the English-speaking Caribbean. UWI is an international university with faculty and students from over 40 countries and collaborative links with over 60 universities around the world. Through its seven Faculties, UWI offers undergraduate and postgraduate degree options in Engineering, Humanities & Education, Law, Medical Sciences, Pure & Applied Sciences, Science and Agriculture, and Social Sciences. 

(Please note that the proper name of the university is The University of the West Indies, inclusive of the “The”, hence The UWI.) 

For the latest UWI News, click http://sta.uwi.edu/news.

Contact