Region to get German support for marine protection

Secretary-General of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) Ambassador Irwin LaRocque and Germany’s new Ambassador to (CARICOM) Holger Michael signed an agreement totalling 25,700,000 euros on Monday for a Sustainable Financing Mechanism for Marine Protection in the region.

Ambassador LaRocque had, minutes earlier at the Secretariat’s Georgetown, Guyana headquarters, received Ambassador Michael’s credentials as his country new representative to the Community.

In thanking Germany, the Secretary-General said the agreement was both timely and relevant, “given our drive to become climate resilient”. Ambassador Michael said the issue of resilience was “close to the heart” of his country and regarded the funding as an important element in the long standing co-operation between Germany and the region.

Earlier at the accreditation ceremony, Ambassador Michael had emphasized Germany’s special interest in climate change and stated his recognition that the Caribbean was in the “forefront of the battle” against the phenomenon. He noted that helping the region to adapt to and mitigate the effects of climate change was, in effect, helping the world.

Secretary-General LaRocque referred to the many areas of co-operation between the Community and its Member States and Germany. He cited areas such as renewable energy and health, pointing out that Germany had been a pioneer in working with the region on renewable energy.