REMARKS TO BE DELIVERED BY THE HONOURABLE
PAULA GOPEE-SCOON, MINISTER OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS AT A RECEPTION TO BE HOSTED BY THE HONOURABLE MINISTER IN WASHINGTON, D.C. - April 9, 2008

• Your Excellency Marina Val ère, Ambassador of Trinidad and Tobago to the United States and Permanent Representative to the Organization of American States
  
• Your Excellency Luis Alberto Rodriguez, Special Envoy to the Americas and National Coordinator for the Fifth Summit of the Americas
  
• Distinguished Ambassadors and members of the Diplomatic Corps,
  
• Congresswoman Yvette Clarke, and Distinguished representatives of the United States Government
  
• Your Excellency Albert Ramdin, OAS Assistant Secretary General
  
• Nationals of Trinidad and Tobago
  
• Honoured Guests,
  
• Ladies and Gentlemen,

It is my privilege and pleasure to extend to you all a very warm welcome this evening on behalf of the Government and People of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago and on my own behalf.

I am particularly pleased to welcome our distinguished CARICOM fellow Ambassadors. As CARICOM Member States we face a critical challenge on how to achieve strong economic growth and investment so that in the medium and long term our societies are economically, socially and environmentally sustainable. Without a doubt, the Caribbean experience has been a shared one of achieving similar objectives and values. It goes without saying, yet it must be said, that the Government of Trinidad and Tobago is extremely appreciative of the support communicated by our CARICOM colleagues for the successful hosting of the Fifth Summit of the Americas (V-SOA) in Port of Spain next year.

I am delighted also to extend special greetings to our nationals who are here this evening, particularly the members of the executives of the Trinidad and Tobago Associations of Washington DC, Baltimore and Delaware and of the Trinidad and Tobago Working Women’s Committee. You certainly keep the flag of Trinidad and Tobago proudly flying high in your respective communities and your Government is deeply appreciative of your sterling efforts and steadfast commitment.

As some of you are aware, the principal purpose of my visit to Washington was to present, to the Permanent Council of the Organisation of American States (OAS), the Final Concept Paper for the Fifth Summit of the Americas which will be held in Trinidad and Tobago next year under the theme “Securing Our Citizens’ Future by Promoting Human Prosperity, Energy Security and Environmental Sustainability”. The Concept Paper, Ladies and Gentlemen, reflects the key issues and strategic initiatives being advanced by the Government of Trinidad and Tobago for the V-SOA as its vision for the Hemisphere with a people centred focus at the core of its policies.

I therefore take this opportunity to thank our partners in this process - member states, past Summit hosts, the institutions of the Joint Summit Working Group, and civil society - for their invaluable recommendations and contributions. I also recognise, with appreciation, the continued support provided to Trinidad and Tobago by Secretary General Insulza, Assistant Secretary General Ramdin and the staff of the OAS since assuming the chairmanship of the Summits of the Americas process in September 2006.

Each of us is well aware that the Americas for all its size and diversity is part of a vaster global network. We are all aware, also, of the disparities in progress, both among and within countries of the Hemisphere. Many in the Americas still face extreme inequalities and lack of opportunities in education, health care, housing and decent work. We face this reality through high energy prices which may mean positive gains for some and negative outcomes for others; trade competition; terrorism and other security concerns; environmental and other challenges. Against this backdrop and with an intensified international concern on food security, increased focus and deliberations on the effects and threats of climate change, international inflationary trends and a global economic slowdown, one may well surmise that the winds of change are already afoot.

Amidst these international challenges, the Government of Trinidad and Tobago remains confident that it will achieve the targets set by the international community for the welfare of all its peoples as enunciated in the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). We are mandated to provide and implement policies to effect positive and meaningful change in the lives of each one of our citizens. These tasks we will accomplish in tandem with the assistance of and partnering with regional and international institutions. We therefore envision a Trinidad and Tobago that will be united, resilient, productive, innovative and prosperous as we strive to provide our citizens with improvements and opportunities in health, education, housing, public amenities, transportation, access to water and personal security and the reduction of poverty.

As you are all aware, the focus of this year’s General Assembly of the OAS is on our youth. Trinidad and Tobago continues its focus on their development with universal access to primary and secondary education. By 2010, we aim to add the category of Early Childhood Care and Education in the fullest. The opportunities for our nation’s youth have never been more promising particularly with early childhood, primary, secondary and tertiary undergraduate education provided free of charge. Technical vocational and other areas of training have also increased. Our intention is the development of a knowledge–based and technology driven society for the engendering of a technological and knowledge- based culture can only lead to the progression of one’s society to higher economic and social levels.

Advances have been made in the health sector and persons suffering with one of eleven common ailments (such as diabetes, cardiac disease, arthritis, hypertension, Parkinson’s disease) can now receive medication free of charge.

Additionally, the Government’s commitment to provide 100,000 housing units in ten years is well on its way: 26,000 have already been built and 8,200 units are currently under construction.

With an expansion in the economy there naturally follows the need to expand the existing transportation networks. In this regard, included in our development programme would be the implementation, in phases, of a rapid rail system which is expected to be fully operational in the next six (6) years; the introduction of a water taxi service bridging the northern and southern points of Trinidad; and the construction of a new national network of highways, involving six (6) different systems. A new highway system has already been announced for Tobago. The intention is that these schemes will open up the entire country to further development.

It is common knowledge that the energy sector is the mainstay of our economy contributing approximately 34.1% to the country’s GDP. Our priority is focused on the future of the economy, and we are determined to create viable alternatives to Trinidad and Tobago’s non-renewable energy resources.

Ladies and Gentlemen, Trinidad and Tobago has experienced fourteen consecutive years of economic growth; over the period 2002-2006, the economy grew at a high rate and real GDP of 9.7% annually, reflecting a growth performance ranking among the highest in the world. The poverty rate decreased by approximately 50% between 1990 and 2006 and unemployment has from 11.7% in 2001 to 5.2% as of the third quarter of 2007.

By building on these achievements, we hope to accelerate development in all areas of national life through deeper industrialization, a focus on our tourism industry and on the manufacturing and small and medium enterprises. In fact, both the energy and non-energy sectors have been experiencing growth. Though the former remains by far the larger contributor to our economy, from 2002 to 2006, our non-energy sector surpassed expectations, increasing at an average annual rate of 6 percent.

It is our commitment to establish Trinidad and Tobago not only as the financial hub of the region, but as an International Financial Centre for trading financial products and services. In fact, the financial sector has been the fastest growing non-energy sector with an average growth rate of 8.2 per cent over 2002 to 2007 and has contributed, in 2007, to 13.5 per cent of our GDP.

Our fortuitous location between North and South America, the strengthening of the overall infrastructure of the financial system in Trinidad and Tobago as well as globalization and the cross-border expansion of Trinidad and Tobago companies have heightened interest from countless investors over the years and have made the establishment of a Trinidad and Tobago International Financial Centre (TTIFC) that much more feasible. Our plans to do so are fully in train. Undoubtedly, we are well on our way to effect the establishment of Trinidad and Tobago as an International Financial Centre.

With rising prices of rice, wheat and basic foodstuffs soaring beyond the reach of the world’s poor and deepening fears on food security, intensified efforts are being made at increased food production through the Government’s vision for Agriculture in Trinidad and Tobago. This entails implementing initiatives to increase the acreage of land under cultivation (the establishment of seven thousand new farms across the country each focusing on different crops and livestock and the creation of sixteen farms, each of least one hundred acres, for the large scale production of food for both local consumption and export); the number of persons involved in agriculture; and the support for those already involved in food production. A collaborative approach among CARICOM Member States is already underway to deal with agricultural development for the food security of the region.

The area of crime and security remains a principal focus on the domestic and regional agenda with a special meeting of CARICOM Heads of Government, held last week in Port of Spain, to examine developments and further collaboration. For its part, the Government of Trinidad and Tobago is attacking the issue of crime simultaneously from several fronts. In addition to initiatives for institutional strengthening and opportunities for individual development, we continue to improve interdiction and prevention capabilities by means of a stronger police service. Our thrust also includes reorganizing the management systems within the Police Service; the modernization of recruitment procedures; and increased and continuing training in detection and forensic capability.

Additionally, we have increased the number of national security personnel; provided improved terms and conditions of employment; and are continuing to build new and better equipped police stations and upgrading others. Additionally, we are institutionalising more scientific methods to deal with crime, and facilitating a more efficient trial process, by supporting the administrative and infrastructural needs of the Judiciary. Acquisition of equipment to patrol our maritime borders is a pivotal element of our strategy to fight crime given the pervasive tentacles of the narco-trafficking and organized crime industry spanning the length and breadth of this hemisphere. Ladies and gentlemen, this is why Trinidad and Tobago continues to advocate that solutions to the plague of crime and insecurity can only be found and effected by collaborative consultations and efforts within the sub-region, the Hemisphere and through international cooperation.

It would be remiss of me if I did not refer to the Trinidad and Tobago/United States partnership which remains strong. We envision a relationship that will continue to be collaborative and productive, benefitting both countries in the spheres of investment and trade, energy, security and defence, health, and legal affairs.

The United States is Trinidad and Tobago’s most important trading partner and is also one of the leading destinations from which Trinidad and Tobago obtains its direct foreign investment - US$3.85 billion in 2006 and US$6 billion in the last five years - mostly in the petrochemical, oil and gas, and iron and steel sectors. This is not a one-way street, however. Since 2003, Trinidad and Tobago has supplied approximately 70% of the LNG needs of the United States, over 52% of the US’ ammonia imports and an increasing percentage of the US’ methanol requirements (68% in 2006). We, unfortunately, cannot quantify (as yet) the intrinsic value of our teachers, nurses and other nationals who have and continue to enhance the socio-economic and cultural fabric of this country. More recently, interest in the non-energy sector has shown some growth, as demonstrated in the tourism sector with the Marriott-Courtyard and Hyatt Regency Hotel chains opening hotels in Trinidad and Tobago.

We have collaborated on issues of global and hemispheric proportions – safety and security, trade and economic prosperity and the promotion of democracy and the rule of law. Our countries are bound together by our social and economic links, a shared vision of democracy, respect for the rule of law, individual freedoms and open economies. We also recognize our interdependence as state actors and the importance of co-operation and dialogue in furtherance of combating new and emerging threats which could rip apart the very fabric of our societies.

Ladies and gentlemen, it is indeed a pleasure to be able to meet with you this evening in a spirit of friendship and optimism for the future of our Hemisphere. It is even a greater honour for the opportunity given to Trinidad and Tobago to host, not only the V-SOA, but the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) also in 2009. In the case of the former, our preparations continue steadfastly in the hope that we will break new ground in Port of Spain, that the Port of Spain Declaration, when adopted, would set us on a path which would intensify and solidify the multilateral relationship with all our partners, and at the same time, give real meaning, commitment and evolution to the actions we contemplate for the welfare of our Hemispheric community.

Our country is one rich in its human and natural resources. We are a diverse people and with this diversity comes a dynamism of culture and spirit. In the last five years, Trinidad and Tobago has made significant economic and social progress towards attaining its goal to be transformed into a developed State. The Government of Trinidad and Tobago aspires to a vision that promises a future for our country where democratic practices are maintained, an economy that remains strong, where our young people are assured of quality education and opportunities, of a society which provides safety nets to treat with remaining pockets of poverty and unemployment, where public health and housing are accessible to all and where the environment is recognized as an essential component for our sustainable development and survival.
In closing, distinguished guests and nationals, I wish to thank you for your presence here this evening which demonstrates to me your continued collaboration and interest in working together with Trinidad and Tobago to achieve our common goals.

Our goal is for a Hemisphere which secures the development of all its peoples. Our task, ladies and gentlemen, requires of us collective commitment, intellect and action reflective of our shared values and commonality of interests to achieve or to increase our efforts for the respect of democratic principles and the protection of human rights, the promotion of peace and economic and social development within our own borders but, always embracing our hemispheric neighbours, the sons and daughters of our Hemisphere.

Ladies and Gentlemen, I thank you.