Colleagues, friends, distinguished guests, good morning.

I bring greetings on behalf of the Government and People of St. Kitts and Nevis, but especially from the citizens of these great CARICOM States. As Lead Prime Minister for Health in CARICOM, I extend greetings to the Government and people of Spain for their benevolence and continued collaboration.

It is my pleasure to represent our region as we launch the CARPHA-COMISCA Collaboration and Cooperation. This is a historic moment, as it marks the formalization of a health partnership between two important regional organizations in the Caribbean.

The countries in Central America are our immediate neighbours to the north and are usually classified with the Caribbean for many health matrices; Latin America and the Caribbean, so it is only fitting that the collaboration in health is formally established with our lone Regional Public Health Agency.

My colleague Heads of State have already endorsed a regional partnership through the ‘Joint Declaration of San Pedro IV Summit of Heads of State and Government of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) and the Central American Integration System (SICA). Therefore, CARPHA and COMISCA’s long history of working together on a number of issues, including health, education, and disaster management, can only strengthen this informal but successful collaboration.

The CARPHA-COMISCA Collaboration and Cooperation will formalize this partnership and provide a framework for even greater collaboration in the future. This is important because the Caribbean faces a number of challenges, including climate change, chronic diseases, and non-communicable diseases.

As we work to remedy the health challenges in this region, we give you the assurance of the political directorate that we will ensure the needed advocacy for strategic policies to strengthen our health systems through this collaboration.

I would like to commend the leaders of CARPHA and COMISCA for their vision and commitment to this partnership. I am confident that this collaboration will be a success and that it will make a real difference in the lives of Caribbean people.

I am confident that the CARPHA-COMISCA Collaboration and Cooperation will be a success. By working together, CARPHA and COMISCA can better address the challenges facing the Caribbean and improve the lives of all Caribbean people.

Thank you.