[Congressional Record Volume 154, Number 98 (Friday, June 13, 2008)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E1231-E1233]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




PREVIEWING THE CARIBBEAN COMMUNITY CONFERENCE--A NEW YORK GATHERING OF 
                             CARICOM HEADS

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. CHARLES B. RANGEL

                              of new york

                    in the house of representatives

                         Friday, June 13, 2008

  Mr. RANGEL. Madam Speaker, I rise today to inform my colleagues of 
the coming of a thoroughly New York and Caribbean affair, a first-of-
its-kind Big Apple meeting between the heads of state of the CARICOM 
nations, the financial movers and shakers in Wall Street, and the 
city's loyal Caribbean constituency. This two-day Caribbean Community 
Conference, to be held in New York City June 19 through 20, aims to 
connect the Caribbean Diaspora with the leaders of their ancestral 
homes and promote a dialogue regarding the region's economic and social 
development. The conference arrives at an opportune time, as these 
nations push forward with their plan for a single, integrated market 
economy and are faced with the challenges of rising food and energy 
costs, the contagiousness of a slumping U.S. economy, and the 
staggering impacts of a skyrocketing inflation. This unprecedented 
coming together of the minds will emphasize the role of trade and 
investment as engines of growth.
  The idea of inviting CARICOM leaders to New York came to me at last 
year's CARICOM summit in Barbados. It seemed natural to me that these 
leaders gather in the city where perhaps the largest concentration of 
Caribbean descendants outside of the region is found. The well-being 
and livelihood of the Caribbean nations are of paramount importance to 
these expatriates, but also to New York, and America, as well. We mean 
to extend a friendly hand to our neighbors to the south--from the 
member states of Antigua and Barbuda, Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, the 
Commonwealth of Dominica, Grenada Carriacou & Petite Martinique, 
Guyana, Haiti, Jamaica, St. Kitts & Nevis, St. Lucia, St. Vincent and 
the Grenadines, Suriname, and the Republic of Trinidad to the 
territories of Anguilla, Bermuda, British Virgin Islands, Cayman 
Islands, Montserrat, and Turks and Caicos Islands--and communicate to 
them that they have neighbors in New York and in this country who are 
friends and supporters who want to contribute to their successful 
economic development.
  These leaders will have the opportunity to interface with the 
industrial and financial leaders of the city, including meeting with 
the leaders of the investment banking community in a meeting at Goldman 
Sachs and being welcomed at a lunch hosted by the New York Stock 
Exchange, at which a relationship between the Exchange and stock 
exchanges in the region will be announced. In order to spur their 
small-market economies, they will need an increased amount foreign 
direct investment and a disposition to trade that will elevate the 
living standards of the Caribbean people.
  The conference kicks off Thursday with a breakfast in Brooklyn, an 
education symposium at Medgar Evers College, and a luncheon where 
Governor David Paterson will give the keynote address. That afternoon 
will feature state and federal trade meetings, capping off with a 
dinner at Gracie Mansion, hosted by Mayor Michael Bloomberg. Friday 
will offer private meetings where investment, small-market economies, 
tourism, agriculture, and technology will be the topics of discussion. 
After a tour of Harlem and a visit to the Schomberg Center, the day 
closes with a Diaspora Forum at York College.
  I introduce into the Record an article and two editorials from the 
New York CARIB News that preview the event as a boon for Caribbean and 
American relations and having great promise in the establishment of new 
initiatives that will contribute to the economic development of the 
region.
  As partners in the Western Hemisphere, intent on improving the 
quality of life in their regions, these heads of sovereign nations 
merit our attentive ear and an outreached hand. May this historic 
gathering--on New York soil--be that first step.

     Caribbean Conference Initiative, From Brooklyn to Wall Street


   Rangel, Great Friend of Caricom Sees Opportunity for Diaspora to 
  Display Pride and For Leaders to Pursue Paths for Economic Expansion

       It's an initiative with twin-goals, one aimed at the large 
     Caribbean Diaspora in the United States and the other to 
     promote the economic and social development of Caricom 
     nations.
       And if they are achieved U.S. Congressman Charles Rangel, 
     one of the most influential elected representatives on 
     Capitol Hill in Washington, would be more than just 
     satisfied.
       Actually, he was describing the objectives of the two-day 
     Caribbean Community Conference in New York City on June 19-
     20. It's a meeting he first suggested to Caricom Heads of 
     Government when he attended their summit in Barbados last 
     year, a few weeks after the region's Presidents and the Prime 
     Minister had completed a highly successful conference in 
     Washington where they met with Congressional leaders as well 
     as U.S. President George Bush and Condi Rice, the U.S. 
     Secretary of State.
       ``I believe it is important for the heads of government of 
     these sovereign states to come to the City where perhaps the 
     largest Caribbean community can be found outside of the 
     region itself and to meet with their nationals,'' he told an 
     Editorial Board meeting of Carib News and said later in an 
     interview with the paper.
       ``I would like everybody of Caribbean ancestry and those 
     that work with and love them, to be able to see in person the 
     Heads of Government of these sovereign countries, the Prime 
     Ministers and the Presidents and to be able to identify 
     beyond the United States to reflect on their culture, their 
     backgrounds with pride and enthusiasm,'' Rangel, the Dean of 
     the New York Congressional delegation, added. ``It's our hope 
     that the heads of state and Heads of Government realize that 
     they have very strong friends politically and culturally in 
     New York and in the country. It's our hope that there would 
     be an explosion of pride and joy in what would be a Caribbean 
     and New York celebration.''
       But that's not all about the conference. The other plank in 
     its foundation is on the economic side.
       ``The leaders are very busy people, who come from small 
     market economies and we want to bring them together with the 
     industrial and financial leaders of the City, including the 
     Wall Street executives in order for the Heads of Government 
     to show that their nations are keen to welcome foreign direct 
     investment and boost trade as part of their drive to improve 
     the living standards of their people,'' he said. ``These 
     countries are our allies and friends and their track record 
     of respecting human and property rights and their commitment 
     to the free enterprise system and the rule of law should be 
     recognized for what it is: an outstanding history that 
     shouldn't be ignored by anyone.''
       And as if to underscore the emphasis on trade, investment 
     and economic development, Congressman Rangel was instrumental 
     in getting Wall Street to give the Caricom leaders red carpet 
     treatment on June 20th with meetings at Goldman Sachs, the 
     large investment bank whose Chairman and Chief Executive 
     officer, Lloyd Blankfein, is to

[[Page E1232]]

     serve as the host of a breakfast and later an investment 
     meeting at which Dr. Ralph Gonsalves, St. Vincent's Prime 
     Minister, is to be the region's key spokesman.
       The New York Stock Exchange, perhaps the world's largest 
     and best known, is hosting a lunch for the Prime Ministers 
     and Presidents, the first of its kind ever arranged for the 
     Caricom leadership.
       ``We see these as important steps forward because they will 
     enable the leaders to exchange ideas about economic growth in 
     the Caribbean and to speak about their aspirations for their 
     own countries and the region as a whole as they push ahead 
     with plans for the Caribbean Single Market and Economy, 
     CSME,'' said Rangel.
       The Ways and Means Committee Chairman also told the 
     Consuls-General and community leaders who attended the 
     Editorial Board meeting that the Congressional Black Caucus 
     was fully behind the Caribbean's efforts to accelerate the 
     pace of their economic and social expansion.''The Caucus has 
     been fully on board on this initiative from the inception,'' 
     was the way he put it. ``Congressman Donald Payne, 
     Representatives Gregory Meeks of Queens, Yvette Clarke and Ed 
     Towns of Brooklyn, Bennie Thompson, Chairman of the House 
     Homeland Security Committee and a host of others are very 
     supportive of this undertaking and are confident of its 
     success.''
       Several top consular officials including the Consuls-
     General of Antigua, Jamaica, Guyana, Trinidad and Tobago and 
     Haiti attended the Editorial Board Meeting where Rangel 
     explained that he had recently requested the U.S. Trade 
     Commission to ``evaluate the resources in the islands'' and 
     prepare a report on trade and economic opportunities in the 
     Caribbean.
       ``I am sure that Caricom and other agencies in the 
     Caribbean have already prepared a similar report but I want 
     to find out where can our (American) investors go and what 
     they would be looking for in terms of mutually beneficial 
     economic opportunities.
       ``This would be a resource book, not any plan for the 
     Caribbean, but one that would inform us about the thinking of 
     the leaders of these sovereign nations. We want to find out 
     what they believe they can accomplish individually and 
     collectively and in our case to accelerate growth in their 
     countries,'' he said.
       The Chairman is said to have been instrumental in 
     encouraging the U.S. Special Trade Representative, Susan 
     Schwab to come to Brooklyn on June 19th to meet with Caricom 
     leaders behind closed doors to discuss U.S. and Caribbean 
     trade issues.
       Rangel considers the Diaspora forums, the sessions on 
     education and other issues designed to give Caribbean 
     immigrants a chance to exchange ideas with their leaders from 
     ``back home'' as being of ``critical importance'' to the 
     successful outcome of the conference because ``they would 
     boost the pride and interest'' of the people who live in New 
     York in the lands from which they came and to which they are 
     inextricably linked. ``There is a sense of unbelievable pride 
     among people from the various islands and nothing would 
     please me more than to see them demonstrating it as they meet 
     their Prime Ministers or Presidents,'' he added.
                                  ____


Historic Caribbean Community Conference in NY--Caricom Leaders Deserve 
                    Enthusiastic Red Carpet Welcome

       U.S. Congressman Charles Rangel, one of Capitol Hill's most 
     influence lawmakers and McChesney Emanuel, current Chairman 
     of the Caribbean Consul Corps in New York, have a single 
     goal, one which we share.
       It is the upcoming New York Conference on the Caribbean 
     Community 2008 must be highly successful. Planned at the 
     urging of Rangel, Chairman of the Ways and Means Committee of 
     the House of Representatives and planned by members of a 
     steering committee headed by Emanuel, Antigua & Barbuda's 
     Consul-General, and the Caricom Secretariat in Guyana, the 
     two day meeting can open some very important financial doors 
     to the entire Caribbean while at the same time drawing the 
     nations and the Diaspora closer together.
       ``I would like everybody of Caribbean ancestry and those 
     that work with them and love them, to be able to see in 
     person the heads of government of these sovereign countries, 
     the Prime Ministers and Presidents and be able to identify 
     beyond the United States to reflect on their culture, their 
     backgrounds with pride and enthusiasm'' was the way Rangel 
     put it.
       The Consul-General used different words to express a 
     similar sentiment when he expressed the hope that the two-day 
     conference would ``provide access to and an enabling 
     environment for dialogue between the Diaspora and the Leaders 
     of Caricom.''
       Clearly, Rangel, the Caribbean and its consular 
     representatives are on the same page.
       But this historic conference, the first of its kind to be 
     held in New York City isn't simply about the Diaspora. The 
     Prime Ministers and Presidents are also coming to talk trade, 
     investment and economic development with some of the movers 
     and shakers of Wall Street and Washington. It's the kind of 
     access that few groups of developing countries have ever had.
       The Congressman has used his considerable clout and that of 
     other members of the Congressional Black Caucus to ensure 
     that investment bankers, financial experts and the New York 
     Stock Exchange give the Caribbean the ear and the welcome the 
     region's leaders deserve.
       Medgar Evers College and York College of the City 
     University of New York as well as the University of the West 
     Indies are also doing their part to ensure that a meaningful 
     dialogue about education and the role of Caribbean immigrants 
     in their countries' development takes place between the West 
     Indians and their leaders.
       That's why it's so important for the large immigrant 
     community to turn out in droves at the public sessions which 
     have been organized for them to meet their leaders and to 
     articulate their hopes and dreams for the region and their 
     respective birthplaces.
                                  ____


   When Caribbean Sovereign Nations Come to Town It's About Economic 
                              Development

       ``They are leaders of sovereign nations and they have 
     earned our attention.''
       U.S. Congressman Charles Rangel, Chairman of the most 
     influential panel on Capitol Hill, the Ways and Means 
     Committee of the House of Representatives, was explaining, in 
     a very succinct and straightforward manner, why he really 
     wants the 2008 Caribbean Community Conference in New York 
     City to be a success and why New York must bring out the red 
     carpet ``for Our country's friends in the Caribbean.''
       The Congressman, the moving force behind the decision of 
     Caricom leaders to meet in New York City on June 19-20, has 
     invested a considerable amount of time and effort, not to 
     mention the prestige of his office in order to ensure that 
     key elements of the conference's agenda, for instance the 
     meetings with financiers and others on Wall Street occur 
     at the highest level.
       The Caribbean is fortunate to have a highly respected 
     friend in the right and influential place in the U.S. and 
     Congressman Rangel has demonstrated once again his 
     considerable interest in the economic well-being of the 
     Caribbean region. True friendship doesn't come any better 
     than this.
       The conference in New York comes on the heels of last 
     year's highly successful series of meetings in Washington 
     last June when the Caribbean's Presidents and Prime Ministers 
     went to Capitol Hill at the invitation of the Congressional 
     Black Caucus and the active support of the Bush 
     Administration, including President George Bush, Secretary of 
     State Condi Rice and other top political decision-makers. On 
     that list too were the World Bank, the International Monetary 
     Fund, the Inter-American Development Bank and the 
     Organization of American States.
       In 2007 they discussed such crucial questions as the 
     extension of the Caribbean Basin Initiative, foreign 
     investment in the region, the troublesome issue of the 
     criminal deportees from the United States, as well as U.S. 
     economic and technical assistance to the island nations and 
     coastal states that comprise Caricom. Back then too, the 
     issue of security and how the U.S. and Caricom could work 
     closer together in a heightened atmosphere of terrorism that 
     can be traced directly to 9/11 was high on the agenda.
       Although this month's talks will take up from where 
     Washington left off, the New York deliberations are going in 
     a different but equally important direction: an emphasis on 
     trade and investment as engines of economic and social 
     growth. The focus couldn't have been at a more opportune 
     time. With Caribbean economic well-being facing threats from 
     the standstill in the U.S. economy; food prices going through 
     the roof; the cost of energy at record levels; and with 
     skyrocketing inflation digging a deeper hole in people's 
     wallets in the Caribbean, the nations and territories have to 
     find effective ways to boost their economies.
       These emerging market economies in the sub-region of the 
     Western Hemisphere are committed to the free enterprise 
     system and intend to continue using it to boost living 
     standards. Objectively, they have done a good job, some much 
     better than others. Trinidad and Tobago, the Bahamas and 
     Barbados have investment grade ratings by both Standard & 
     Poor's and Moody's, perhaps the world's best-known rating 
     firms. Barbados, St. Kitts-Nevis, the Bahamas, Antigua and 
     Trinidad and Tobago are in the top tier of the 180 nations 
     surveyed annually by the United Nations Development Program 
     when it comes to the quality of life.
       When the World Health Organization looked at the provision 
     of health services around the world, it gave Dominica one of 
     the highest scores. And when the World Economic Forum, 
     Transparency International, the International 
     Telecommunications Union and Freedom House undertook in-depth 
     analyses of economic and technical conditions in different 
     parts of the globe, many of the countries participating in 
     this month's conference received high ratings. These good 
     reports on investment climates, high-tech availability, 
     and relatively low levels of corruption and red tape are 
     clear evidence of countries with considerable appeal for 
     investors interested in doing business.
       That's why Congressman Rangel's efforts to help open Wall 
     Street's doors to Caricom leaders are so important. Right 
     now, few, if any the executives at Goldman Sachs and the New 
     York Stock Exchange, for instance, would give Caribbean 
     islands a second and serious look when considering billion-
     dollar investment deals. But the conference would help the 
     countries and the executives know more about each other. 
     That's a good beginning.
       Of course, the financiers know about Antigua, the Bahamas, 
     Grenada, Jamaica, St.

[[Page E1233]]

     Lucia, St. Vincent, Barbados and their neighbors as 
     playgrounds, destinations where the sea, sand and sun are 
     attractive magnets only in times of relaxation. But a mix of 
     their small economic size and their invisibility in the 
     global financial community ensures they don't register on the 
     economic radar screen.
       The sessions on Wall Street and with the U.S. Special Trade 
     Representative, Ambassador Susan Schwab are but an important 
     first step. As New York City's Comptroller, William ``Bill'' 
     Thompson, recommended at last year's Caribbean Multi-National 
     Business Conference in Antigua, Caricom member-states must 
     mount a vigorous marketing campaign to get their stories told 
     along the hallways of big-finance.
       That story is one of economic stability, commitment to law 
     and order, respect for people's property rights and a 
     determination to allow market forces to propel economic and 
     social development. They are all marketable qualities. 
     Singapore, the Cayman Islands and Bermuda are also small 
     countries but they have earned for themselves a loud voice in 
     international financial circles. They have demonstrated that 
     they have a high degree of economic discipline, a factor 
     which has propelled them to levels which few could have 
     imagined 30 years ago.
       Another thing. The doors to the world's best known 
     financial market which Congressman Rangel is opening for the 
     countries in the Caribbean would have cost the region several 
     millions of dollars in lobbying and consultancy fees, if 
     Caribbean states had gone on their own to get the job done. 
     The Black elected official from Harlem doesn't want any favor 
     in return for his assistance and he doesn't expect any.
       ``I simply wish to see the countries move forward and that 
     their people reap the benefits. That's my reward,'' was the 
     way he put it.
       No one could have said it better.
       That's the true mark of friendship.

                          ____________________