Date:

April 23rd – 25th, 2008

Location:

Caribbean Community (CARICOM) Secretariat Headquarters, Georgetown, Guyana

Background

The First Meeting of the Caribbean Plant Health Directors, was convened at the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) Secretariat Headquarters, Georgetown, Guyana on April 23rd – 25th, 2008, in collaboration with the Inter- American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture (IICA),United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Agriculture Plant Health Inspection Services (APHIS), the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations (UN) , the French Agricultural research Centre for International Development (CIRAD) and Caribbean Agricultural research and Development Institute (CARDI).

Four Technical Working Groups (TWGs) were established at this first meeting. These TWGs cover issues related to: Giant African Snail; Red Palm Mite; Fruit Flies, Palm Pest Complex, Banana Streak Virus, Lethal Yellowing and Emergency Response Plans. (This was later changed to five (5) TWGs and two (2) sub-committees.)