PM Golding for Brazil Summit of Latin American and the Caribbean- Dec 16-17

Prime Minister Bruce Golding, will head Jamaica’s delegation to Brazil, when for the first time ever, the Heads of State and Government of Latin America and the Caribbean, will gather for a summit meeting, December 16 -17 in Salvador, the capital of the northeastern state of Bahia. The heads will be meeting in a new attempt to further regional integration.
The meeting has been described by Brazilian Government officials as “unprecedented,” as the heads of the 33 countries in the region have previously come together only when convened by an external entity, such as the European Union.
The central themes for the summit will be on integration and development from a regional perspective, bearing in mind the challenges posed by the financial, energy, food crisis and climate changes. The agenda will also look at other pressing issues such as agricultural co-operation, racism against migrants and natural disasters.
Jamaica’s delegation will include the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade, Dr Kenneth Baugh, Under Secretary, Bilateral and Regional Division in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Paul Robotham, and other officials from the Office of the Prime Minister and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
During Prime Minister Golding’s absence, Minister of Finance and the Public Service, Audley Shaw, will be in charge of the Government. The Prime Minister and his party will return to the island on Friday December 19, following a brief stop-over in Miami with the Consul General there.