The Trinidad and Tobago Coalition of Services Industries (TTCSI) has expressed its sadness at the passing of Ambassador Henry S Gill, a former Director General of the CRNM, Assistant Secretary-General of the Latin American Economic System (SELA) and International Trade expert.
In a statement, TTCSI chief executive officer Nirad Tiwarie said having encountered many challenges, Ambassador Gill embodied Caribbean regionalism, which he illustrated while leading the region in the CARIFORUM-EU EPA negotiations.
“His technical knowledge and diplomatic skills ensured that the region’s developmental interests were put at the forefront in the negotiations’ agenda,†Tewarie said.
According to Tewarie, Ambassador Gill was one of the key architects in the establishment of Coalitions of Services Industries (CSI) in the Region, introducing for the time ever the concept of CSI in 1997 at a UNDP workshop on Trade In Services. His paper entitled Towards a Regional Coalition of Services industries published in 1999 was used by the founders of the TTCSI for the organisation’s establishment and strategic direction.
Ambassador Gill later provided advice and guidance to the TTCSI and other CSIs around the region.
“He lived his life in a manner that many of us strive to emulate. He was passionate about the things he loved – his family, his work, the region, and having a good time. He always stood up for what he believed, never allowing fear of consequence to lead to compromise of principle,†Tewarie said.
“Henry Gill was a builder and has certainly done his part to leave the world that much better than the state in which he met it. His legacy will live on through the fruits of his work; his research and writing, which are still relevant; through the hundreds of people whom he mentored and touched in some way and; through the institutions which he had a hand in developing.
We extend our condolences to Ambassador Gill’s family and all those in the region and around the world who remain inspired by his example. Ambassador Gill was a Godfather to TTCSI and to all who are passionate about regional development, policy based on information and logic and who believe that doing right and good are far more important than accolades and show,†TTCSI chief executive said.
