Heroy Clarke takes OACPS chair
A first for the Caribbean
DEPUTY SPEAKER of Jamaica’s House of Representatives, Heroy Clarke, created history in Luanda, Angola, on Saturday when he was elected as the first president of the Caribbean-European Parliamentary Assembly Organization of Africa, the Caribbean and Pacific States (OACPS).
Clarke, the member of parliament for St James Central, was nominated and then elected by delegates from the 16 Caribbean states that are members of the OACPS.
He will serve an initial two-year term and can be re-elected if the delegates wish to extend his tenure. By virtue of his election, he automatically becomes a co-president of the OACPS.
“I am honoured to be elected to this position as it is one of the highest positions on the world stage. Just like UNESCO and the WTO and other international groups,” Clarke told The Gleaner in an exclusive interview yesterday. “It is my extreme pleasure to be able to represent my government and my country at one of the highest levels on the world stage.
“I will do my utmost best in all my endeavours to lead the contingency comprising the Organization of African State, Caribbean and Pacific States ... it is my intention to keep the flag of Jamaica flying high,” added Clarke.
PEOPLE-LED PARTNERSHIP
In his maiden address after his election, Clarke spoke of the importance of fostering a people-led partnership perspective within the Caribbean-European Parliamentary Assembly as it relates to addressing climate financing, as part of the overall initiative to reshape the region going forward.
“As representatives entrusted with shaping the future of our region, we bear a profound responsibility to address the pressing challenges posed by climate change. The Caribbean region is on the frontline of climate change, facing increasingly frequent and severe hurricanes, rising sea levels, and other extreme weather events,” said Clarke.
“These threats not only endanger lives and livelihood but also exacerbate existing vulnerabilities within our societies, in this contest, the need for robust and equitable climate finance mechanisms cannot be overstated,” added Clarke.
Speaking specifically about the role of the Caribbean, Clarke stated that the region has a crucial role to play in advocating the mobilisation of additional resources for climate finances and promoting policies that foster resilience and adaptation by working together across national boundaries and political divides.
“We can amplify our collective voices and drive a meaningful action on the global stage,” noted Clarke. “The challenges posed require bold and visionary leadership.”
Clarke also posed several questions to the European Union (EU) partners as to their plans to ensure that climate change issues are properly addressed as a matter of urgency, as well as what long-term commitments the EU is prepared to give to support climate resilience in the Caribbean.
The OACPS is operating under a new regime based on an agreement signed in Samoa in November in the past year between EU countries and the OACPS. It is known as the Post-Cotonou Agreement. It replaces the previous Cotonou Agreement and is aimed at strengthening political dialogue and cooperation between the EU and OACPS countries.
The 16 Caribbean states that are members of the OACPS-EU are Jamaica, Cuba, Trinidad and Tobago, Barbados, StVincent and the Grenadines, Grenada, Haiti, St. Lucia, Guyana, Belize, Suriname, Dominica, Dominican Republic, Antigua and Barbuda, and Bahamas.