President Granger confers Order of Roraima on Barbados Prime Minister

President David Granger, who is Chancellor of the Orders of Guyana, on Thursday conferred Prime Minister of Barbados, the Right Honourable Freundel Stuart with the insignia of the Order of Roraima, Guyana’s second highest National Award. The investiture ceremony was held at State House.

The Prime Minister was bestowed with this honour in recognition of his support for the rights of Small Island and Low Coastal Developing States, his advocacy for CARICOM’s demand for reparations for the citizens of the Caribbean Region and his contribution to the reduction of the impact of climate change in the Region.

President Granger in his remarks said that the Prime Minister also distinguished himself as, “a doughty defender of the territorial integrity of Guyana and Belize and the maritime space of all Caribbean states.”

He explained that both Guyana and Barbados gained their Independence from Britain in 1966. Barbados will be celebrating its 50th Independence Anniversary in November. Both countries also pioneered the founding of the Caribbean Free Trade Area (CARIFTA) in 1965, even before they became independent and established a joint High Commission in London soon after Independence. Additionally, the two states’ Prime Ministers, Forbes Burnham and Errol Barrow, were among the four ‘founding fathers’, who signed the Treaty establishing the Caribbean Community in Chaguaramas in 1973.

The Guyanese Head of State said that Prime Minister Stuart was known for combining his country’s legendary leadership in regionalism with the international activism necessitated by the changing circumstances of the 21st century Caribbean.

Read more at: caricom.org