Minister Honourable Josephine Connolly led a Turks and Caicos Islands delegation to the 18th Caribbean Week of Agriculture and the 14th Special Meeting of the Caribbean Regional Fisheries Mechanism (CRFM) Ministerial Council, held in St. Vincent and the Grenadines in October 2024. She attended as Chairperson of the CRFM Ministerial Council.
She was joined by Acting Director of Fisheries Kathy Lochkhart, Director of Agriculture Wilhelmina Kissoonsingh and Executive Administrator Leandrea Missick. Presiding over the CRFM meeting, Connolly guided discussions on improving fisheries statistics and information systems, embedding biodiversity into fisheries policies, and implementing the Convention on Biological Diversity's Global Diversity Framework, producing steps toward sustainable regional fisheries management. "The decisions we made will help to protect marine ecosystems while supporting the livelihoods of those who depend on them," she said. The delegation also joined the week's daily Agriculture Trade Show, which showcased technologies and sustainable practices aimed at raising productivity and food security amid climate change.
Regional officials, including Kissoonsingh and Lochkhart, praised the exchanges as valuable for the Turks and Caicos Islands. Connolly said she looks forward to "applying the insights and solutions we've gathered" at home.