International community must offer more support to small states – Ransford Smith

The Commonwealth Secretariat supports the call made by CARICOM leaders for greater international attention to be given to small states of the Caribbean, many of whom are highly indebted, Commonwealth Deputy Secretary-General Ransford Smith has said.

“The international community must step up and give more support to small states, some of which are struggling to cope with the many challenges - whether environmental or economic - which they face,” he said.

“The Commonwealth Secretariat has and will continue to support small states through projects, expertise and advocacy efforts.

“We have worked extensively in the region in recent years in a wide range of areas, including training of public sector staff, providing technical experts in areas of critical need, assisting with trade negotiations, training lawyers in legislative drafting and helping countries to delineate their maritime boundaries so that they call better exploit fishing and other resources from the sea.”

Mr Smith was speaking at the close of the three-day CARICOM Heads of Government Meeting, which was held in Montego Bay, Jamaica.

The Deputy Secretary-General is scheduled to visit the Caribbean Institute for Media and Communications on Thursday 8 July 2010 where he will hear from young people participating in a project organised by the Commonwealth Secretariat and CARIMAC, which has been successfully teaching young people in schools how to manage their money.

The media is invited to attend this event, which will take place on Thursday 8 July 2010 at 12 noon at CARIMAC, University of the West Indies, Mona.

Later this month, the Commonwealth Secretariat will hold a conference for small states, which will also be attended by the association’s Caribbean member countries. The conference will look at ways to strengthen their development prospects and enhance the advocacy case that they have for improved access to global finance.

Note to editors:

For media enquiries and to interview Ransford Smith, please contact Ms Yvonne Chin on +1 876 404 6320 or y.chin@commonwealth.int

There are 32 small states in the Commonwealth, of which 25 are small island states. The Commonwealth Secretariat defines small states as countries with a population of 1.5 million or less. These countries possess unique special development challenges – limited diversification, susceptibility to natural disasters and environmental change, remoteness and isolation, and income volatility. The Secretariat’s grouping of small states also includes the larger member countries of Jamaica, Lesotho, Namibia and Papua New Guinea because they share many of the same characteristics.

Secretariat Links:

• Ransford Smith
• Country Profile: Jamaica