CARICOM has pledged support for the people of Haiti following massive devastation caused by Saturday’s earthquake.
At least 1 297 people were reported to have died in the 7.2-magnitude quake, while an unknown number remain missing.
CARICOM chairman Gaston Browne, Prime Minister of Antigua and Barbuda, said earlier today the community would be placing the beleaguered Caribbean territory at the top of its agenda for immediate assistance.
In a brief address at the virtual swearing-in ceremony for new CARICOM Secretary-General Dr Carla Bennett, Browne said: “Starting today our first order of business and our top priority will be Haiti…now suffering under the most recent humanitarian crisis brought on by Saturday’s earthquake.”
He added the earthquake and the attendant massive loss of life were “painful reminders of the political, economic and social tragedies that have beset Haiti since its new history began in 1804”.
Incoming Secretary General Bennett expressed similar sentiments, while assuring that the community “will do all it can to assist.”
Bennett, the 8th CARICOM Secretary General in the community’s 48-year history, is the first woman to hold that position. (GC)
