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| PM Kamla Persad-Bissessar at CARILED in Belize |
Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar welcomed the initiative and encouraged the Commonwealth’s collaborative steps towards achieving local economic development during a special address at the launch of the CARILED programme in Belize Wednesday. (CLICK HERE to read the full speech)
The Prime Minister is in Belize for the Commonwealth Local Government Forum (CLGF) which brings together Heads of State and Government throughout the Commonwealth to advocate for a more democratic local government.
The Prime Minister is in Belize for the Commonwealth Local Government Forum (CLGF) which brings together Heads of State and Government throughout the Commonwealth to advocate for a more democratic local government.
She emphasised that “local government is at the heart of democracy” and serves as the foundation of a resilient economy. She described CARILED as a concrete expression of the policies agreed under the Cardiff Consensus for Local Economic Development as endorsed by Commonwealth Heads of Government at CHOGM 2011. She added that she was delighted to see the CARILED dream become a reality:
“With the launch of CARILED here today, the CLGF has shown that the Commonwealth is not about talk, but about action. The need for a more localised approach to development was identified, and that need is now being met," Persad-Bissessar said.
The six-year regional programme aims to promote local economic development across the Caribbean by building local capacities and competencies in the area of local economic development through pilot projects in six target countries.
“With the launch of CARILED here today, the CLGF has shown that the Commonwealth is not about talk, but about action. The need for a more localised approach to development was identified, and that need is now being met," Persad-Bissessar said.
The six-year regional programme aims to promote local economic development across the Caribbean by building local capacities and competencies in the area of local economic development through pilot projects in six target countries.
Direct technical expertise and support will also be made available to micro, small and medium enterprises in these countries in order to stimulate local economic growth.
CARILED will also contribute towards developing and strengthening national policy and legislation relating to local economic development. The key partners of CARILED include the Federation of Canadian Municipalities (FCM), the Caribbean Forum of Local Government Ministers (CFLGM) and the Caribbean Association of Local Government Authorities (CALGA) and the CLGF.
Persad-Bissessar thanked the Canadian International Development Association (CIDA) for investing Cdn$23.2 million towards the CARILED initiative. She said she anticipates that the programme will identify best practices and overcome challenges to achieving local economic growth in the Caribbean region:
“These lessons learnt can later be shared with other Caribbean countries so that as a region we can learn together, and grow in socio-economic strength together.”
Persad-Bissessar, who was ecently appointed CLGF Honorary Patron, reaffirmed Trinidad & Tobago’s commitment to fulfilling the vision of the CLFG and its projects. CARILED’s Caribbean-based regional project office will be in Trinidad & Tobago. She said her country will also offer "in-kind" contributions to CARILED to facilitate its work over the next six years.
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| PM Kamla and T&T delegates at the CARILED conference in Belize |
“These lessons learnt can later be shared with other Caribbean countries so that as a region we can learn together, and grow in socio-economic strength together.”
Persad-Bissessar, who was ecently appointed CLGF Honorary Patron, reaffirmed Trinidad & Tobago’s commitment to fulfilling the vision of the CLFG and its projects. CARILED’s Caribbean-based regional project office will be in Trinidad & Tobago. She said her country will also offer "in-kind" contributions to CARILED to facilitate its work over the next six years.
“Trinidad and Trinidad and Tobago is deeply invested in CARILED and my Government is committed to ensuring that the programme is effectively implemented through active partnerships with our local government bodies and my Ministry of Local Government,” she stated.
Persad-Bissessar stressed that she hopes to strengthen the CLGF’s presence in Trinidad and Tobago through CARILED and the EU-supported ARIAL programme on local government capacity-building as initiated by the CLGF.
She also expressed her support for future regional initiatives which the CLGF is currently planning in cooperation with international partners such as the IDB and UNDP.
The Prime Minister indicated that Minister of Local Government Chandresh Sharma has been mandated to engage with CLGF to further strengthen local government structures. Sharma has identified Trinidad and Tobago’s Regional Planning Programme as a local initiative which ideally compliments the vision of CARILED.
The main objective of this Planning Programme is to develop municipal regions beyond the infrastructural level, based on the needs of the area and through the harnessing of the region’s natural assets. The Prime Minister said 14 Municipal Development Plans have already been successfully developed to guide project selection and implementation in each of the respective 14 Municipal Corporations.
Persad-Bissessar praised the high level of Intra-Commonwealth cooperation, which led to the realisation of CARILED. She encouraged collaboration among Commonwealth nations, which she said can open up new opportunities for economic growth and development.
“What we cannot do on our own, we can do together. This is what it means to be part of the Commonwealth family.”
Persad-Bissessar praised the high level of Intra-Commonwealth cooperation, which led to the realisation of CARILED. She encouraged collaboration among Commonwealth nations, which she said can open up new opportunities for economic growth and development.
“What we cannot do on our own, we can do together. This is what it means to be part of the Commonwealth family.”
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