Martinique Regional Council Pledges a Financial Contribution Toward the
Construction of Proposed Memorial

On behalf of Martinique Regional Council President Serge Letchimy, Martinique Tourism Authority Commissioner Karine Roy-Camille made an official visit to the United Nations in June to contribute to the Permanent Memorial in Honor of the Victims of Slavery and the Transatlantic Slave Trade. Dubbed The Ark of Return, the Memorial was designed by Mr. Rodney Leon, an architect based in Manhattan and an American of Haitian descent. Mrs. Roy-Camille pledged a financial contribution toward the construction of the memorial on behalf of the Martinique Regional Council and the people of Martinique.

In addition to pledging support for the Permanent Memorial project, Mrs. Roy-Camille sought to build upon Mr. Letchimy's recent efforts to foster closer ties between Martinique and its fellow Caribbean neighbor states during the UN visit. A meeting was held with H.E John W. Ashe, president of the 68th session of the General Assembly of the United Nations and a former permanent representative of Antigua & Barbuda, who, along with Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, leads the new development agenda toward the eradication of poverty. Mrs. Roy-Camille also met in New York with fellow Ministers of Tourism from other Caribbean destinations on the occasion of the Caribbean Tourism Organization (CTO) Caribbean Week.

"It was indeed a great honor to represent President Letchimy and all Martinicans everywhere in support of such a noble project as the Permanent Memorial at the United Nations, while also sharing in the spirit of togetherness and cooperation among all Caribbean nations," said Mrs. Roy-Camille. "We may be small as individual island states, but together we stand strong; both in honoring the dark memory of our shared past, and also in working together to build a brighter future."