CARICOM Institutions Need to Collaborate

CSME makes collaboration within Caricom most urgent
Monday October 29 2007
Source: Sun- St Kitts & Nevis

Caricom Secretary-General Edwin W. Carrington told the inaugural meeting of Heads of Caricom Institutions in Georgetown last Thursday that the need for a collaborative approach between all Community institutions has become more pressing with the launch of the Caricom Single Market (CSME) and the goal of establishing the framework for the Single Economy by 2008.

He added that the efficient functioning of the Caricom Single Market and Economy (CSME) in the dynamic global environment would require a more effective harnessing of the institutions and agencies of the Community.

The major objective of this first encounter of the Community’s institutions, therefore, must be a frank exchange of views on the broad vision for the Community and on the contribution that its institutions could make towards achieving that vision,” the secretary-general said.

The two-day meeting will examine issues of more efficient financing of Community institutions, and respective work programmes with a view to developing synergies, pursuing common goals and avoiding duplication.

The secretary-general expressed the hope that the “landmark event” would become a “biennial event and a forum for continuous dialogue and consequent concerted action.”

CSME Officials Uninformed

Uninformed officials a problem for CSME office
Source: Nation - Barbados
Published on: 10/22/07.

HIGH INSURANCE PREMIUMS, high interest rates on loans and inadequate information on the CARICOM Single Market and Economy (CSME) – due in part to uninformed public officials – are just some of the complaints reaching the CSME Unit's office for attention.

He also criticised some public officers whom he accused of often retarding the CSME process due to inadequate information on the subject.

"The CSME process is being frustrated by uninformed public sector officers who have inadequate information on the entire process," he said during an Association of Certified Chartered Accountants forum on small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) at Sherbourne Conference Centre on Friday.

In outlining what the Barbados-based unit would do to support SMEs, Forte cited discussions on a financial services agreement which would help facilitate information-trading on the creditworthiness of Caribbean entrepreneurs as they moved through the region.

"Without that arrangement it is possible that people with bad credit history could move cross-border and corrupt our financial sector," Forte warned.

Antigua & Barbuda Fiance Minister calls for more IMF Support

CARICOM wants more support from IMF/World Bank

Caribbean Broadcasting Corporation - Barbados
Tuesday, 23 October 2007

The Caribbean Community (CARICOM) has called on the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank to pay closer attention to the needs of the region in respect of its ability to respond to its debt challenges.

Antigua and Barbuda's Finance and Economy Minister Dr Errol Cort, speaking on behalf of the region, said the international community had "a moral obligation to provide financing for adaptation and mitigation efforts in developing countries including Small Island Developing States".

Addressing the IMF/World Bank Board of Governors meeting, Cort said there was a need for specific interventions to address the issue of crime and violence in the Caribbean. "The Caribbean Community urges the Bank to rethink its approach to crime and violence and to recognise it as an urgent development issue.

"As a first step, the Bank could convene all the development partners to review the findings of the 2007 UN-World Bank study on Crime and Violence in the Caribbean and identify areas of partnership on the regional security plan."

Cort welcomed the region-wide research and outreach activities being undertaken by the IMF and the World Bank, especially in support of the full establishment of the CARICOM Single Market and Economy (CSME).

He also stressed the role of the international financial institutions in assisting the Caribbean to reposition itself to thrive in the global economy is critical "We call on the Bank and the Fund to demonstrate a greater awareness of, and sensitivity to, the significant debt challenges facing many Caribbean countries, primarily precipitated by the vulnerabilities associated with small island economies. "In this regard, we encourage the Bank to be more creative in developing instruments to specifically assist middle income countries that do not qualify for IDA funding, but continue to experience significant development challenges as a result of their high debt overhang," he added. Cort also stressed the Caribbean region's strong support for the operationalisation of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) Adaptation Fund.

CARICOM Office in Haiti

Caricom office to re-open in Haiti

Source: Caribbean Broadcasting Corporation - Barbados

Friday, 19 October 2007

President René Préval is expected to deliver the feature address at the re-opening of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) Representational Office in Haiti on Friday, according to a CARICOM statement issued here.

It said that the ceremony will take place at the new office in the heart of the capital, Port au Prince and that the Parliamentary Secretary in the Ministry of Finance of Barbados Senator Tyrone Barker will represent Prime Minister Owen Arthur, the present CARICOM Chairman.

CARICOM Secretary General Edwin Carrington and Dennis Robert, who is representing the Ambassador of Canada to Haiti, will also address the function. "The CARICOM Representational Office (CRO) is being re-opened with the support of the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA), three years after it was closed following the interruption of democratic governance in 2004," the CARICOM statement said. "The office was then located in the Embassy of The Bahamas and had been established at that time with the support of the government of the Kingdom of Norway.

The statement said that Ambassador Earl Huntley, a St. Lucian diplomat and administrator with wide experience, will be in charge of the CRO. CARICOM said that the CRO is being established to facilitate more speedily the integration of Haiti into the regional integration grouping "with particular emphasis on the Single Market and Economy; identify and mobilise domestic, financial and other resources; promote relations with the media; and undertake public education programmes".

"The ratification by the Haitian Parliament of the Revised Treaty of Chaguaramas including the Single Market and the Economy and the re-opening of the Representational Office within two weeks of each other augur well for the quickening of the pace of the fuller integration of Haiti into CARICOM," Carrington said.

Deputy Secretary-General of CARICOM, Ambassador Lolita Applewhaite, said that CIDA's assistance regarding the CRO is part of the wider CARICOM Trade and Competitiveness Project.

"Among the goals of the project is to assist Haiti to prepare itself for full participation in the CSME. This is being done within the context of the wider goal to provide more and better opportunities for the people of CARICOM to participate in and benefit from the CARICOM Single Market and Economy (CSME).

"It also should enable all CARICOM citizens to understand, participate and actively engage in economic activities," she added. CMC

Implementation of Article 164 of Revised Treaty

Regional officials meet to discuss sensitive industries in the CSME
Source: Caribbean Net News

Published on Friday, October 19, 2007
Print Version
CASTRIES, St Lucia

The sensitive industries of the less developed countries (LDCs) within the CARICOM region, will top the agenda of a meeting of Trade and Private Sector Officials from these territories, when they meet in Saint Lucia on October 22-23.

The meeting, which is being hosted by the OECS Secretariat in collaboration with the CARICOM Secretariat, will focus specifically on Industries approved for Article 164 treatment under the revised Treaty of Chaguramas.

This article allows the LDCs of CARICOM, including Belize and Haiti, to submit a collective request to the CARICOM Council on Trade and Economic Development (COTED), to suspend as a “temporary measure” preferential treatment usually granted to products of other CARICOM member states, in order to promote the development of a specific sensitive industry in the LDCs. The two day meeting will examine the overall implementation of Article 164. This will include a review of the procedures for granting Article 164 treatment, the current criteria for determining the products and industries which qualify for such treatment, the types of measures which can be used to implement Article 164, as well a common system for monitoring and evaluation of the programme.

The government of Belize is expected to make a presentation on the category of industries currently approved by the COTED for Article 164 treatment. Belize will also put forward its proposal for broadening the criteria as well as the industries which currently qualify for Article 164 treatment. An OECS official explains Article 164 as very important to the operation and functioning of LDCs within the CARICOM Single Market.

“It not only operates as a special and differential treatment mechanism for OECS member states, Haiti and Belize, but more significantly ensures that certain industries that are deemed important for the industrial development of these countries are given temporary preferential treatment within the Community."

The official says the continued implementation of this provision is critical to facilitating the operation of the LDC’s productive sectors and their adjustment to competition in the CARICOM Single Market and Economy. At the end of the two day meeting trade and private sector officials expect to agree on a plan of action that addresses and provides common principles, standards and solutions to the major implementation issues regarding Article 164.

Once finalised, some concrete proposals on how Article 164 should be preserved and extended will be tabled to the next meeting of the Council of Trade and Economic Development. This meeting is scheduled for November of this year.

Regional System of Vocational Qualifications

Caribbean Vocational Qualification to be Launched in Jamaica

Caribbean PressReleases.com - Christ Church,Barbados

Press Release from : CARICOM, Guyana

Oct. 18, 2007

Arrangements for the issue of the Caribbean Vocational Qualification (CVQ) have been streamlined and the first launch by a National Training Agency is expected to take place in Jamaica by the HEART Trust/NTA on Friday, 19 October at 10:00 am at the Terra Nova Hotel.

The CVQ will facilitate the movement of artisans and other skilled persons in the CARICOM Single Market and Economy (CSME). This qualification will be accessible to persons already in the workforce as well as students in secondary schools across the Caribbean Region. Those already in the work force will be required to attend designated centres for assessment.

The Caribbean Association of National Training Agencies (CANTA) has been streamlining arrangements for the issue of the CVQ in post-secondary institutions and workplaces over the past year. In addition, arrangements have been put in place with the Caribbean Examinations Council (CXC) for the award of the CVQ to students in secondary schools, as mandated by the Fifteenth Meeting of the CARICOM Council for Human and Social Development (COHSOD-XV).

Speaking at the Sixteenth Meeting of the COHSOD held in Georgetown, Guyana on 10 -12 October 2007, CARICOM Secretary-General, H.E. Edwin W. Carrington said, “this development will facilitate the movement of a large number of wage earners in the CSME and is one which our Heads of Government have eagerly awaited.”

In explaining the rationale for the introduction of the CVQ, Ms. Myrna Bernard, Director of Human and Social Development in the CARICOM Secretariat said, “One of the main pillars of the CSME is the free movement of skilled persons throughout the Region.”

She explained that, “the issues of skill development through Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) and the portability of qualifications, have assumed renewed importance in positioning the Region for competitive participation in the New Economy.”

“It is recognised that in order to achieve this, there must be a common system and understanding of quality assurance issues at all levels of Education and Training, including TVET,” Ms. Bernard clarified further.

Ms. Bernard added that “the institutionalisation of a regional system of Vocational Qualifications is a crucial element in facilitating the free movement of workers while also contributing to the enhancement of skills training in both institutional as well as on-the job settings.”

In response to a mandate from COHSOD XI in October 2004, CANTA reached an agreement on, and documented a Regional Process for Workforce Training, Assessment and Certification leading to the award of the Caribbean Vocational Qualification (CVQ). The Report was presented to COHSOD XV in October 2006.

Contact: piu@caricom.org

CARICOM Skilled National Ammendment Act Debate - Antigua & Barbuda

CSME consultants hold talks in Antigua

Source: AntiguaSun - St' John's,Antigua and Barbuda

Published: October 17, 2007

Consultations with stakeholders on the scope of the Caricom Single Market (CSM) as it relates to the fulfilment of Antigua and Barbuda’s obligations began yesterday at the Multi-purpose Cultural and Exhibition Centre.

The Industry and Commerce Division of the Ministry of Finance and Economy in collaboration with the Caricom Secretariat is hosting the three-day Caricom Single Market and Economy (CSME ) Country Mission.

These consultations come at a time when the government is preparing to fully implement the CSME by next year.

CSME will also be one of the issues of discussion this Wednesday when the House of Representatives meet to debate the Caribbean Community Skilled National Amendment Act 2007.

Thelma Joseph, operations manager of the CSME based in Barbados said that each member state must harmonise everything across the region to avoid people from becoming frustrated when they try to travel and work within the common economic space.

According to her, the government of Antigua and Barbuda has demonstrated its commitment to CSME and the broader process of regional integration.

“It has maintained active participation at all levels including focal points while participating in CSME related meetings,” Joseph said.

“Therefore we all have the responsibility for guiding the implementation of CSME and ensuring its enabling environment.”

Joseph said that one of the roles of public sector officials is to help to facilitate that movement and to ensure that everything is place to allow the CSME to function. She said that the government of Antigua and Barbuda has declared full compliance with most of its legal obligations required to operate the single market.

The Caricom Single Market (CSM) is already in place in Antigua and Barbuda as well as the other member states of Caricom.For Antigua and Barbuda, there are still some outstanding areas that need to be implemented especially for the free movement of skills individuals.

“CSME is not an event, CSME is in a state of evolution, it is a process that will take time, and it calls for changes in attitudes and mind sets,” Joseph said.

Steven Mac Andrew, specialist on movement of skills and labour said that Antigua and Barbuda had fully implemented the free movement of graduates, artistes, media workers, sportsmen and musicians in January 2002 but subsequently it was discovered that there was a flaw in the law. There was need for the country to introduce the necessary law in order to implement the free movement of skills nationals in Antigua and Barbuda.

“My understanding that the act has its first reading and that it is on the agenda for the sitting of Parliament coming Wednesday,” Mac Andrew said.