Call to deepen economic links
Jamaica Prime Minister Andrew Holness is urging the region to stop behaving like it is peripheral to the global system.
He is recommending that countries in Latin America and the Caribbean deepen their economic connections, arguing that “vulnerability is not our destiny, our region possesses what the world increasingly needs”.
Holness was speaking at the Panama Convention Centre here in Panama City during the opening session of the Latin America and Caribbean Economic Forum yesterday.
“For too long, Latin America and the Caribbean have been described primarily to a language of vulnerability. But vulnerability is not our destiny, our region possesses what the world increasingly needs – young populations, strategic geography, extraordinary natural assets, food producing capabilities, renewable energy potential, creative industries and resilient democracies,” Holness told participants at the event organised by CAF Development Bank of Latin America and the Caribbean.
“We are not peripheral to the global system, we are central to its stability, sustainability and future growth. But to project that reality, we must act deliberately. We must articulate clearer regional positions, climate resilience, supply chain diversification, digital inclusion and sustainable energy.
“We must move from fragmented national initiatives to align regional priorities, and we must shift from reacting to global change to anticipating helping shape the standards and partnerships of the decade.”
Holness was the lone Caribbean government head addressing the forum, which has a number of regional representatives, including Caribbean Development Bank President Daniel Best and Caribbean Tourism Organisation Secretary General Dona Regis-Prosper.
Barbados’ representatives include Barbados Chamber of Commerce and Industry president Paul Inniss and Export Barbados chief executive officer Mark Hill.
Holness told the forum, which has brought together more than 2 500 global political, economic, and academic leaders, that the region should focus on three imperatives for progress.
“First, a regional competitiveness agenda anchored in connectivity, logistics, energy security and digital transformation. Second, institutional readiness [and] credible frameworks that give global partners confidence that our ambitions can be executed with professionalism and continuity,” he recommended.
“Third, a renewed diplomatic and economic posture, deepening engagement, not only with traditional partners, but with emerging markets, global money chain leaders and rapidly expanding green technology ecosystem.”
He added: “If our region is to rise, we must deepen our economic connections. If our economies are to scale, we must scale our ambitions. If our voice is carried globally, we must be not as isolated markets, but as a coherent atmosphere.
“The opportunity before us is not modest, it is raw, bold and transformative. Jamaica stands ready to play its part to build stronger institutions or efficient government and an increasingly competitive economic environment.”
The Jamaica leader stressed that the next decade did not belong to those who wait for opportunity to arrive, “it will belong to those who create it, and the nations of Latin America and the Caribbean standing together can shape the future of our people”.
CAF has described the forum, which ends today, as “the main political and economic meeting point to rethink the region’s positioning in an increasingly changing environment”.
It noted that the meeting of heads of state and government ministers, business leaders, representatives of international organizations, and leading academics sought to “examine the region’s main challenges and opportunities and to advance solutions that promote growth, inclusion, and competitiveness”. (SC)
The post Call to deepen economic links appeared first on nationnews.com.