The Caribbean Community (Caricom) Secretariat is preparing for the implementation of the Caribbean Business Council (CBC), the Regional Development Fund (RDF) and a number of other initiatives aimed at boosting the Single Market and Economy.
Security in the region is foremost on the agenda of the Council for National Security and Law Enforcement meeting slated for early January, a Caricom panel said at an end-of-year press conference held at the Secretariat’s headquarters at Liliendaal on Tuesday. The conference included participation from regional media operatives through teleconferencing.
Caricom still views drugs and crime as serious, and as such they are included in a plan drafted to address it. Assistant Secretary-General, Dr Edward Greene, said it will be a leading topic on the meeting’s agenda.
While the regional body has been involved in activities throughout the year, Secretary-General, Dr Edwin Carrington, said he believes that more could have been done. “I will never say that there has been enough done, more could have been done by the Secretariat and there is not enough being done by member states to inform about all that is happening.” Carrington made these comments in response to a question about whether he was satisfied with all the Secretariat’s efforts this year.
Meanwhile, the region will activate the RDF, which is particularly important to the effective functioning of the CSME, and which will benefit disadvantaged regions and sectors. The revolving fund is to kick off with some US$250M, US$120M of which was contributed by member states and the remainder from international development partners. The agency which will oversee the fund and provide technical assistance will be established shortly.
Economic Advisor to the secretary-general, Dr Maurice Odle, said Trinidad and Jamaica are the largest contributors to the fund with US$37M and US$18.5M respectively. He explained that the formula by which members of the Less Developed Countries (LDCs) contribute to the Caricom budget will be used to determine their share of the fund. He further noted that in the case of the More Developed Countries a number of factors will be taken into consideration, such as the Gross Domestic Product and the per capita income, but some consideration will be given to the country’s current debt.
Carrington said the CBC is intended to help promote private sector interest within the community. It will also be made an associate organ of Caricom and have its function and structure embedded in the Treaty of Chaguaramas so that its purposes in regional integration could be institutionalized.
CWC
As regard the region’s hosting of the Cricket World Cup games this year, Carrington said it has reaped many benefits from undertaking that task particularly the enhanced security co-operation such as the advanced passenger information system. He said the January meeting is to deliberate further in this regard but pointed out that the collaboration between member states on this issue was a good model and ensured security. “What emerged from CWC was the building of capacity among nationals and professionals also to deal with natural disasters and also in the area of health a large number of people were trained in food safety and in general emergency responses,” Carrington said.
The secretary-general also said that the region was finalizing many agreements such as the Caricom Maritime and Air Space agreement and the Caricom arrest warrant treaty. He added that implementing these agreements will ensure that security is a pillar of the community. Meanwhile, Caricom officer, Jacqui Joseph, who addressed the question of implementation of the enhanced passenger information system which resulted in the apprehension of men wanted by the United States, said she could not comment on who may have been detained. However, she said the system allowed member states to protect their borders; supported by an intelligence sharing network across the region, and focus is now being placed on improving it.
Commenting too on another achievement made by at least 10 member states, Carrington lauded the implementation of the regional passport which bears the country specifics but clearly depicts the Caricom logo. Suriname was the first member state to go this route and others have followed. Guyana launched its document earlier this year and is the first country to allow citizens of a Caricom member state travelling with the document an automatic six-month stay. Legislation has also been passed to this effect. The panel at the press conference was unable to say whether other member states have taken this step but said it is hopeful that other countries will emulate Guyana’s example.
Additionally, Caricom said it is pleased to have Haiti fully functional in its many organs and a Caricom office was, in October, re-opened in the French-speaking Caribbean nation. Though Haiti is still restructuring it has adopted the revised Treaty and is well on its way to engaging in the CSME experience.
The secretary-general also alluded to the many conferences held under its ambit throughout the year, notably, the first ever meeting where Caricom heads discussed the issue of non-communicable diseases and the impact on the health of Caribbean people. Carrington said leaders have adopted the Wellness Revolution which the Secretariat will hold them to it as they will be setting the example. He also spoke about the recent Special Heads of Government conference which examined poverty and price increases in the region with a view to making recommendations about how they could cushion the impact on the region’s standard of living. A special team is to be set up to address matters arising from this conference.
Looking ahead however, Carrington said the Secretariat is excited about Carifesta 10 set for August, in Guyana. “We are looking forward to this with great impatience,” he said. The Community is also expected to participate in a follow-up to the Council of the Caribbean, as the African Diaspora Summit slated for South Africa, as well as the European Union Latin American and the Caribbean Summit.
