Senator the Honourable Kamina Johnson Smith, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade, is pictured chairing a Special Session of the Council of Ministers of the Organization of African, Caribbean and Pacific States (OACPS). The two-day Special Session began on Tuesday, April 24.
MEDIA RELEASE
Senator the Honourable Kamina Johnson Smith, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade, has
presided over a Special Session of the Council of Ministers of the Organisation of African, Caribbean
and Pacific States (OACPS), to address the Organisation’s finances.
Jamaica chairs this Special Session of the Council of Ministers in its current capacity as CARIFORUM’s representative on the Bureau of the Council of Ministers. This follows a request from His Excellency Georges Rebelo Pinto Chikoti, Secretary General of the OACPS, for Jamaica to assume the chairmanship of the Special Session, given Haiti’s unavailability to preside over the two days of hybrid deliberations which began yesterday.
During the first day’s proceedings, Minister Johnson Smith highlighted the responsibility of all Member States to meet their financial obligations to the OACPS, so that it is able to fulfil its essential mandates and attract vital partnerships. She also urged swift action to ensure effective mobilisation of resources and implementation of developmental programmes.
“We are aware that the Secretariat is facing a particularly challenging period, so it is critical
that as Member States who are vested in the success of this Organisation, which supports our
development aspirations, we play our part in assuring its financial sustainability. This is our
responsibility even as we call on the Secretariat to apply fresh thinking and sharp pencils to our
planning”, said Minister Johnson Smith as she set the stage for budgetary proposals from Member
States.
This Special Session marks a significant juncture in intra-OACPS planning and reflection as the Organisation prepares to celebrate its 50th anniversary next year. The OACPS was established in 1975 through the Georgetown Treaty. The organisation’s key goals are sustainable development and poverty reduction among Member States coupled with their enhanced integration into the global economy. The OACPS’ Council of Ministers last met in Special Session in Apia, Samoa, in November last year, on the eve of the Signing Ceremony for the Samoa Agreement.
