Professor Norman Girvan dies

Last Updated on Saturday, 26 December 2015, 20:59 by GxMedia

United Nations Good Officer in the Guyana/Venezuela border controversy Professor Norman Girvan has died.

The renowned Jamaican economist and political thinker died in Cuba on Wednesday aged 72.

CARICOM Secretary General Irwin LaRocque in a news release expressed his sadness at Girvan’s passing and lauded his contributions to the region.

“It is with deep sadness that I have received the news of the death of Professor Norman Girvan, a man whose life’s work was underlined by unremitting dedication to a vision of an integrated Caribbean. His ideas and ideals placed him in the upper echelons of Caribbean intellectuals,” the release stated.

It continued that Girvan’s service as main author of Towards a Single Development Vision and the Role of the Single Economy, a visionary document to guide the development of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) was a prime example of his commitment to the region.

“I extend sincere condolences to his wife and family and to the Government and People of Jamaica on the loss of a true Caribbean icon,” LaRocque concluded.

Girvan, who was appointed to the Good Officer post in 2010, was Secretary General of the Association of Caribbean States from 2000-2004 and a Professorial Research Fellow at the University of the West Indies’ Institute of International Relations.