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TERMS OF REFERENCE (ToR)
REF. no:
(Consulting Services – Accountant)
Background
The Eastern Caribbean Partial Credit Guarantee Corporation (ECPCGC) was created to increase the amount of financing available to MSMEs in the Eastern Caribbean Currency Union (ECCU). The programme provides guarantees of up to 80% on loans made by private sector lenders to qualifying micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs). ECPCGC became operational in 2020 and its staff is working with banks in the six nations that comprise the ECCU. In general, both banks and MSMEs are unfamiliar with guarantee schemes and the credit enhancement that they can provide. The process is that the entrepreneurs approach the financial institutions for loans, armed with their financial documents, projections, business history, and a clear idea of the purpose of the loan. The institutions would review the documents, adjudicate the loan, and if approved, send an application to ECPCGC for a guarantee to make up for the collateral deficit. In the absence of proper records, the financial institutions are unable to complete their assessments.
The Current Issue
The banks have cited the following issues that are prevalent among the customers:
Consequently, the institutions have requested that the clients get their files organized so that proper assessments may be made of the businesses and the need for financing. Many clients are cash constrained and are unable to afford the fees for an accountant to prepare the requisite statements. They, therefore, do not return to the banks with the documentation and so lose out on the opportunity to participate in the guarantee programme.
As the economies rebound from COVID 19, it is expected that the demand for guarantees will pick up, and there may be many more under prepared clients trying to access the guarantees. ECPCGC will send referrals to the accountant so that the required reports can be prepared for submission to the financial institutions.
The Purpose of the Assignment
ECPCGC is looking to obtain the services of an experienced accountant who has worked with MSMEs nationally and has experience in creating financial reports and projections from incomplete records.
The consultant would have the following responsibilities:
Fees will be paid on a “per client” basis.
Requirements
The ideal candidate will have a minimum of 10-15 years of accounting experience and would have substantial prior engagement with MSMEs.
Term of the Engagement
The engagement will last between 6 and 12 months beginning in June 2022.
Expression of Interest:
Interested applicants whose qualifications and experience are in line with the Terms of Reference are invited to submit their CV, a letter of application stating suitability for the position, two professional references on or before May 24, 2022 at 11:59 Atlantic Standard Time (AST) to [email protected] with the job reference number KN-ECPCGC-293793-CS-IDV in the subject line of the email.
Key Personnel
The following are key organizational staff that you may contact regarding any questions on the position:
Bernard Thomas, Chief Financial Officer, 869-466-8251, [email protected]
Carmen Gomez-Trigg, Chief Executive Officer, 868-620-8144, [email protected]
Terms of Reference for Marketing/Technical Assistance Expert for the Eastern Caribbean Partial Credit Guarantee Corporation
May 2022
Background
The Eastern Caribbean Partial Credit Guarantee Corporation (ECPCGC) was created to increase the amount of financing available to SMEs in the Eastern Caribbean Currency Union (ECCU). The scheme provides guarantees of up to 75% on loans made by private sector lenders to qualifying small and medium enterprises (SMEs). The scheme recently became operational and is working with banks in the six nations that comprise the ECCU. In general, both banks and SMEs are unfamiliar with guarantee schemes and the credit enhancement that they can provide.
The Current Issue
The ECPCGC was designed with a staff of four to five people to handle marketing, processing guarantee applications, and monitoring lender performance. During the initial operational phase, the need for training and implementation of the web portal has stressed the ability of the staff to keep up with day-to-day activities as well as handle the training. While the current staff has provided training on the web portal and terms and conditions of the guarantee scheme, it is likely that loan officers will have questions regarding both the terms and conditions of the scheme and web portal operations when they use the program for the first time.
The Covid virus has slowed business on the islands, including the requests for bank lending. When lending picks up, it is likely that loan officers will have questions regarding program operations and using the web portal. In addition, one of the concerns banks raise repeatedly is that many applications are not complete when submitted, requiring substantial additional time to get all of the information in a format that can be used for a credit application.
The Purpose of the Assignment
The ECPCGC is looking for an experienced bank or non-bank loan officer who has worked with SMEs in the Caribbean region and has experience in the Sales and Marketing of financial products. The consultant would have five main responsibilities.
Requirements
The ideal candidate will have a minimum of 10-15 years of SME lending experience in the Caribbean region, preferably in the countries of the ECCU.
Experience with marketing, sales, and/or working with a guaranteed lending scheme would be beneficial.
Term of the Engagement
The engagement will last between 6 and 12 months beginning in June 2022.
Expression of Interest:
Interested applicants whose qualifications and experience are in line with the Terms of Reference are invited to submit their CV, a letter of application stating suitability for the position, two professional references, and a current Police Certificate of Good Character on or before May 20, 2022 at 11:59 Atlantic Standard Time (AST) to [email protected] with the job reference number KN-ECPCGC-292033-CS-INDV in the subject line of the email.
Key Personnel
The following are key organizational staff that you may contact regarding any questions on the position:
Bernard Thomas, Chief Financial Officer, 869-466-8251, [email protected]
Carmen Gomez-Trigg, Chief Executive Officer, 868-620-8144, [email protected]
Terms of Reference for Marketing/Technical Assistance Expert for the Eastern Caribbean Partial Credit Guarantee Corporation
April 2022
Background
The Eastern Caribbean Partial Credit Guarantee Corporation (ECPCGC) was created to increase the amount of financing available to SMEs in the Eastern Caribbean Currency Union (ECCU). The scheme provides guarantees of up to 75% on loans made by privatesector lenders to qualifying small and medium enterprises (SMEs). The scheme recently became operational and is working with banks in the six nations that comprise the ECCU. In general, both banks and SMEs are unfamiliar with guarantee schemes and the credit enhancement that they can provide.
The Current Issue
The ECPCGC was designed with a staff of four to five people to handle marketing, processing guarantee applications, and monitoring lender performance. During the initial operational phase, the need for training and implementation of the web portal has stressed the ability of the staff to keep up with day-to-day activities as well as handle the training. While the current staff has provided training on the web portal and terms and conditions of the guarantee scheme, it is likely that loan officers will have questions regarding both the terms and conditions of the scheme and web portal operations when they use the program for the first time.
The Covid virus has slowed business on the islands, including the requests for bank lending. When lending picks up, it is likely that loan officers will have questions regarding program operations and using the web portal. In addition, one of the concerns banks raise repeatedly is that many applications are not complete when submitted, requiring substantial additional time to get all of the information in a format that can be used for a credit application.
The Purpose of the Assignment
The ECPCGC is looking for an experienced bank or non-bank loan officer who has worked with SMEs in the Caribbean region and has experience in the Sales and Marketing of financial products. The consultant would have fivemain responsibilities.
Requirements
The ideal candidate will have a minimum of 10-15 years of SME lending experience in the Caribbean region, preferably in the countries of the ECCU.
Experience with marketing, sales, and/or working with a guaranteed lending scheme would be beneficial.
Term of the Engagement
The engagement will last between 6 and 12 months beginning in June 2022.
Expression of Interest:
Interested applicants whose qualifications and experience are in line with the Terms of Reference are invited to submit their CV, a letter of application stating suitability for the position, two professional references, and a current Police Certificate of Good Character on or before May 3, 2022 at 11:59 Atlantic Standard Time (AST) to [email protected] with the job reference number KN-ECPCGC-156400-CS-INDV in the subject line of the email.
Key Personnel
The following are key organizational staff that you may contact regarding any questions on the position:
Bernard Thomas, Chief Financial Officer, 869-466-8251, [email protected]
Carmen Gomez-Trigg, Chief Executive Officer, 868-620-8144, [email protected]
REQUEST FOR EXPRESSIONS OF INTEREST
(CONSULTING SERVICES – INDIVIDUAL SELECTION)
OECS MSME Guarantee Facility Project
Loan No.: IDA-62670, IDA-62660, IDA-62640, IBRD-88830, IDA-62650
Assignment Title: Senior Operating Officer (SOO)
Reference No. KN-ECPCGC-207852-CS-INDV
The Governments of Antigua and Barbuda, Commonwealth of Dominica, Grenada, St. Lucia and St. Vincent and the Grenadines have received financing in the amount of US$10 million equivalent from the World Bank towards the cost of establishing a partial credit guarantee scheme, and they intend to apply part of the proceeds to payments for goods, and consulting services to be procured under this project.
The consultant will serve as the “Senior Operating Officer (SOO)” for the ECPCGC and should possess extensive knowledge of MSME lending with some direct experience lending to Micro, small and medium-sized businesses, knowledge of the internal control processes necessary for a lending operation and the ability to design and implement risk mitigation procedures. The ideal candidate should possess an Undergraduate Degree from a reputable college or university, preferably in Business, Accounting, Banking or related field, with a minimum of 5 years’ experience in lending, inclusive of MSME lending. The initial employment period will be for two years on a contractual basis. Renewal of the contract will be subject to a performance evaluation at the end of the contractual period. The assignment is expected to begin on September 30th, 2021. The consultant will report directly to the Chief Executive Officer of the ECPCGC.
The detailed Terms of Reference (TOR) for the assignment can be viewed by following the attached link below.
The Eastern Caribbean Partial Credit Guarantee Corporation (ECPCGC) now invites eligible “Consultants” to indicate their interest in providing the Services. Interested Consultants should provide information demonstrating that they have:
The attention of interested Individual Consultants is drawn to Section III, Paragraphs 3.14, 3.16, and 3.17 of the World Bank’s Procurement Regulations for IPF Borrowers July 2016, [revised November 2017] (“Procurement Regulations”), setting forth the World Bank’s policy on conflict of interest. A Consultant will be selected in accordance with the Approved Selection Method for Individual Consultants set out in the clause 7.34 of the World Bank Procurement Regulations for IPF Borrowers.
Further information can be obtained at the address below during office hours 0800 to 1700 hours:
Eastern Caribbean Partial Credit Guarantee Corporation
Bird Rock, Basseterre,
St. Kitts.
Expressions of interest must be delivered in a written form by e-mail by August 25th, 2021, to [email protected].
For further information, please contact:
Carmen Gomez-Trigg Bernard Thomas
Chief Executive Officer Chief Financial Officer
Tel: 868-620-8144 Tel: 869-765-2385
REQUEST FOR EXPRESSIONS OF INTEREST
(CONSULTING SERVICES – INDIVIDUAL SELECTION)
OECS MSME Guarantee Facility Project
Loan No.: IDA-62670, IDA-62660, IDA-62640, IBRD-88830, IDA-62650
Assignment Title: Senior Operating Officer (SOO)
Reference No. KN-ECPCGC-207852-CS-INDV
The Governments of Antigua and Barbuda, Commonwealth of Dominica, Grenada, St. Lucia and St. Vincent and the Grenadines have received financing in the amount of US$10 million equivalent from the World Bank towards the cost of establishing a partial credit guarantee scheme, and they intend to apply part of the proceeds to payments for goods, and consulting services to be procured under this project.
The consultant will serve as the “Senior Operating Officer (SOO)” for the ECPCGC and should possess Extensive knowledge of MSME lending with some direct experience lending to small and medium-sized businesses, knowledge of the internal controls necessary for a lending operation and the ability to design and implement risk management procedures. The ideal candidate should possess an Undergraduate Degree from a reputable college or university, preferably in Business, Accounting, or related field; and a minimum of 5 years’ experience in MSME lending in a financial services institution. The initial contracted employment period will be for two years subject to a performance review and an expression of further contracted employment three months before the expiration of the existing contract. The assignment is expected to begin on April 15, 2021.
The consultant will report directly to the Chief Executive Officer of the ECPCGC and the ECPCGC Board of Directors.
The detailed Terms of Reference (TOR) for the assignment can be viewed by following the attached link below.
https://tinyurl.com/yygezdt9
The Eastern Caribbean Partial Credit Guarantee Corporation (ECPCGC) now invites eligible “Consultants” to indicate their interest in providing the Services. Interested Consultants should provide information demonstrating that they have:
Applicants should also have:
The attention of interested Individual Consultants is drawn to Section III, Paragraphs 3.14, 3.16, and 3.17 of the World Bank’s Procurement Regulations for IPF Borrowers July 2016, [revised November 2017] (“Procurement Regulations”), setting forth the World Bank’s policy on conflict of interest.
A Consultant will be selected in accordance with the Approved Selection Method for Individual Consultants set out in the clause 7.34 of the World Bank Procurement Regulations for IPF Borrowers.
Further information can be obtained at the address below during office hours 0800 to 1700 hours.
Expressions of interest must be delivered in a written form by e-mail by February 16, 2021 to [email protected]
Eastern Caribbean Partial Credit Guarantee Corporation
Brid Rock, Basseterre,
St. Kitts.
For further information, please contact:
Carmen Gomez-Trigg Bernard Thomas
Chief Executive Officer Chief Financial Officer
Tel: 868-620-8144 Tel: 869-765-2385
Economic Advisory Services – Project Management Consultant Terms of Reference
Antigua and Barbuda
Terms of Reference
Job Title |
Project Management Consultant |
Date of Issue
|
September 25, 2020 |
Deadline for application
|
December 1, 2020 |
To Apply |
Suitable candidates are invited to submit the following documents: cover letter and a curriculum vitae (CV) with contact information for three (3) references. Email the copy of the above referenced documents to [email protected] or mail to the following address: Procurement Officer NDC Partnership Support Unit c/o World Resources Institute 10 G St NE, Suite 800 Washington, DC 20002 Please use email subject line: “Project Management Consultant” |
Contracting Authority |
Department of Environment |
Duration of Contract
|
Short-term contract for 1 year |
Country
|
Antigua and Barbuda |
BACKGROUND
The Government of Antigua and Barbuda (GOAB) is to receive funding from the NDC Partnership to enhance its economic planning and recovery efforts and its response to both the COVID-19 pandemic and climate change. The GOAB recently established an Economic Recovery Commission (ERC) in the wake of the pandemic. It comprises public-private stakeholders, who advise the Cabinet of Antigua and Barbuda on the long-term economic recovery of Antigua and Barbuda, including avenues to stimulate development and create jobs. The support of the NDC Partnership and its implementing partners will complement the work of the ERC.
Funding from the NDC Partnership will go towards the operationalization of a Project Management Unit (PMU) for the Ministry of Finance and Corporate Governance that will help the country to design and implement low-
carbon and climate resilient projects in line with the Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) under the ParisAgreement. This assistance will strengthen the country’s capacity to develop and execute interventions that address the adverse effects of climate change and improve its ability to attract climate finance.
The PMU within the Ministry of Finance will be tasked with coordinating the implementation of transformative projects for the building, road and finance sectors; and adaptation interventions. The PMU has to implement projects with oversight from the Department of the Environment (DOE) — an Accredited Entity (AE) to the Green Climate Fund (GCF). The PMU must also work with Executing Entities (EE) and other implementing partners. The PMU will consist of one or more Project Managers, one or more Project Coordinators, Project Component Coordinators, a Financial Officer, a Procurement Officer, an Environmental and Social Safeguards Officer, a Knowledge Management Officer, a Monitoring and Gender Officer, and an Administrative Officer.
Objectives of the Assignment
The objective of the assignment is to acquire the services of an experienced and qualified Project Management Consultant, who will be responsible for setting up and operationalizing the PMU. The Consultant will be required to set up and prepare for the operation of new projects while the project staff are being hired. The Project Management Consultant should have a proven track record of supervising and managing relevant projects. The Consultant will take responsibility for building the PMU’s capacity for planning, coordinating, and implementing low-emission and climate resilient projects. Also, the PMU will be required to carry out monitoring and evaluation and reporting functions. The Consultant will be based in the Ministry of Finance. The contractual period is expected to last for 12 months at which time the PMU should be established, and any new projects assigned will be in full operationalization and implementation phase.
Scope of Work
The Project Management Consultant will carry out specific duties and responsibilities under the general direction of the Ministry of Finance. The Project Management Consultant will:
Economic Advisory Services – Project Management Consultant, Antigua and Barbuda 2 October 2020
monitoring and reporting
Develop
provide initial oversight for the PMU staff in the execution of their respective duties, including
During this contract period, if the PMU has to implement a project, the Project Management Consultant will be provided with more detailed tasks.
Indicative Deliverables |
Timeline |
Detailed Workplan |
Within 2 weeks of signing contract |
PMU structure and work programme |
December 2020 |
Training and capacity building plan |
Within 1 month of signing contract |
Four (4) training workshops conducted |
November 2020 December 2020 February 2021 March 2021 |
Draft Project Operations Manual with policies, procedures and a fuctional project management system |
July 2021 |
Final Project Operations Manual |
August 2021 |
Final report on achievement of the objective of the consultancy and status of deliverables |
September 2021
|
Institutional Arrangements and Reporting
The Project Management Consultant will work under the guidance and supervision of the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Finance. The Project Management Consultant will provide oversight of the Project Management Unit and shall liaise with the government, NDC Partnership, donor agencies and other key stakeholders. The Project Management Consultant shall also collaborate with the Economic Advisor and the Climate Finance Analyst during the execution of his/her tasks and responsibilities.
Education, Experience, Skills and Abilities
The Project Management Consultant should possess the following qualifications:
Economic Advisory Services – Project Management Consultant, Antigua and Barbuda 4 October 2020
Invitation to Tender
Construction of Airport Heliport
Details:
Property located at the Eastern end of Runway 10 has been designated for a helicopter landing area. This tender is being offered for the construction of a helicopter landing pad as well as a 4 office building.
The area will require preparation and landing area constructed in accordance with ICAO and ECCAA regulations as well as logistically designed for maximum safety and benefit.
Requirements:
Deadline:
All bids must be submitted to [email protected] by 20 Nov. 2020. All enquires with regard to tender should be addressed to the above email.
REQUEST FOR EXPRESSIONS OF INTEREST
(CONSULTING SERVICES – INDIVIDUAL SELECTION)
OECS MSME Guarantee Facility Project
Loan No.: IDA-62670, IDA-62660, IDA-62640, IBRD-88830, IDA-62650
Assignment Title: Senior Operating Officer (SOO)
Reference No. KN-ECPCGC-207852-CS-INDV
The Governments of Antigua and Barbuda, Commonwealth of Dominica, Grenada, St. Lucia and St. Vincent and the Grenadines have received financing in the amount of US$10 million equivalent from the World Bank towards the cost of establishing a partial credit guarantee scheme, and they intend to apply part of the proceeds to payments for goods, and consulting services to be procured under this project.
The consultant will serve as the “Senior Operating Officer (SOO)” for the ECPCGC and should possess extensive knowledge of MSME lending with some direct experience lending to Micro, small and medium-sized businesses, knowledge of the internal control processes necessary for a lending operation and the ability to design and implement risk mitigation procedures. The ideal candidate should possess an Undergraduate Degree from a reputable college or university, preferably in Business, Accounting, Banking or related field, with a minimum of 5 years’ experience in lending, inclusive of MSME lending. The initial employment period will be for two years on a contractual basis. Renewal of the contract will be subject to a performance evaluation at the end of the contractual period. The assignment is expected to begin on September 30th, 2021. The consultant will report directly to the Chief Executive Officer of the ECPCGC.
The detailed Terms of Reference (TOR) for the assignment can be viewed by following the attached link below.
https://bit.ly/3iVannm
The Eastern Caribbean Partial Credit Guarantee Corporation (ECPCGC) now invites eligible “Consultants” to indicate their interest in providing the Services. Interested Consultants should provide information demonstrating that they have:
The attention of interested Individual Consultants is drawn to Section III, Paragraphs 3.14, 3.16, and 3.17 of the World Bank’s Procurement Regulations for IPF Borrowers July 2016, [revised November 2017] (“Procurement Regulations”), setting forth the World Bank’s policy on conflict of interest. A Consultant will be selected in accordance with the Approved Selection Method for Individual Consultants set out in the clause 7.34 of the World Bank Procurement Regulations for IPF Borrowers.
Further information can be obtained at the address below during office hours 0800 to 1700 hours:
Eastern Caribbean Partial Credit Guarantee Corporation
Brid Rock, Basseterre,
St. Kitts.
Expressions of interest must be delivered in a written form by e-mail by August 11th, 2021, to [email protected].
For further information, please contact:
Carmen Gomez-Trigg Bernard Thomas
Chief Executive Officer Chief Financial Officer
Tel: 868-620-8144 Tel: 869-765-2385
Email: [email protected] [email protected]
Why CARICOM had no national for OAS top job
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By Sir Ronald Sanders
Readers of Barbados newspapers were exposed recently to the views of John Beale, one of the country’s former Ambassadors to the Organisation of American States (OAS), on the forthcoming election for the post of Secretary-General. Because Mr. Beale served at the OAS and did sterling work, his views on the Secretary-Generalship of the OAS deserves attention.
Mr. Beale is my friend and former colleague as Ambassador to the United States of America (US) and the OAS. We fought several battles together to advance the interests of Caribbean Community (CARICOM) countries in the US and at the OAS. At a bilateral level, we jointly took on the abuse by the US Virgin Islands (USVI) government of US Federal Government tax rebates to disadvantage CARICOM rum exporters. The USVI used the rebate to subsidize rum production by the British multinational, Diageo PLC, allowing it to undercut CARICOM rum producers.
Mr. Beale also joined me in 2015 in the first public airing of concerns about the effect on Caribbean economies of the withdrawal of correspondent banking relations (CBRs) by US global banks, and in resisting the wrongful branding of CARICOM countries as tax havens and money launderers. Without those early warnings, the situation today may have been worse.
Caribbean governments and Mr. Beale disagree on Mr. Luis Almagro being re-elected as Secretary-General of the OAS on March 22. Mr. Beale asserts that “many CARICOM leaders have been critical of the management style of Mr Almagro”, and identifies this as a reason for them not supporting his re-election. For Mr. Beale, CARICOM countries “should leave Mr. Almagro to manage the OAS and not worry about his management style”. Further, he infers that, since Mr. Almagro “continues to have the support of several major countries such as the US, Canada, Colombia, and Brazil”, CARICOM countries should re-elect him. Apart from the fact that Canada has not indicated support for Mr. Almagro, CARICOM countries – whether they do so individually or collectively – decide on support for candidatures based on their own assessment, not the wishes of others who, equally, have no reason to consider CARICOM countries in their own decision-making.
Mr. Beale is incorrect in giving Mr. Almagro’s “management style” as the reason for CARICOM countries’ dissatisfaction with him. Mr Beale served as Ambassador only during the first year of Mr. Almagro’s tenure. He should therefore be forgiven for his lack of familiarity with Mr. Almagro’s performance in the three years that followed.
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The CARICOM group’s real concern is that Mr. Almagro has sought to use the OAS as an international platform for advocating his personal positions and the narrow purposes of some governments. Further, he has been divisive, failing to build consensus and promote dialogue and understanding among states. Development and security – the two pillars of the OAS about which CARICOM countries are most concerned – also received little or no attention from him.
As far back as 1 November 2018, in a widely published commentary entitled, “A Caribbean Secretary-General for the OAS”, I argued that after 70 years of Caribbean membership of the Organisation, it was time for a Secretary-General from amongst the CARICOM group. I pointed out that, “If CARICOM countries are divided over a candidate, others will take advantage of that division to insert their own candidate, as has happened with other organisations. In the process, the Caribbean will continue to be relegated to second position”.
Indeed, the CARICOM group has had to be content with the Assistant Secretary-General’s position for 39 years. The present holder of the position is Nestor Mendez of Belize. Mr. Beale understands that, as he put it, “CARICOM leaders, quite rightly, would like to have one of their countrymen be elected to the SG position”. He suggests that “the best way to succeed is to re-elect both the current ASG and the SG because in 2025, Nestor Mendez would be the obvious candidate for the post of SG”.
Mr. Beale appears to be unaware that CARICOM never had a chance to consider Mr. Mendez as a candidate for the post of Secretary-General in the March 2020 election. Mr. Mendez was not proposed for the job by the Belizean government which only canvassed for him to retain the position as ASG. And, as Mr. Beale pointed out, a geographical group of countries in the OAS cannot field candidates for both positions. Therefore, to quote Mr. Beale, “Since Nestor Mendez is the current ASG and his country, Belize, has proposed him to run again for the same post as ASG, it de facto makes it impossible for another CARICOM candidate to run for the SG spot”.
Being unable to propose their own candidate for the post of Secretary-General, because this would have dislodged Mr. Mendez from the comfort of being unopposed, CARICOM governments sought to put their support behind a non-CARICOM candidate. To do so, they looked for an outstanding citizen of the Americas whose known record could best serve the collective interests of all member states. Most CARICOM governments opted for Maria Fernanda Espinosa, the former President of the UN General Assembly, whose performance was exemplified by consensus building, a focus on climate change, poverty alleviation, peace keeping and security. Others are considering a Peruvian candidate, Mr. Hugo de Zela.
Mr. Beale is right that Ms Espinosa was not proposed by Ecuador, the country in which she was born, but Mr. Almagro was also not proposed by Uruguay, the country of his birth. So, nothing turns on that observation.
Supporting candidates on the basis only of their birthplace, over which they had no choice, is too narrow a consideration. Far more important is their record of building inter-governmental trust, seeking peaceful solutions to disputes and delivering benefits for all the peoples they serve.
Nonetheless, Mr. Beale is right that if the CARICOM group wants to secure the post of Secretary-General at the next election for a national, the work of preparing likely candidates should start now – regardless of the CARICOM country of their birth.
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