Important measures and areas where implementation is critical to the achievement of the establishment of CARICOM Single Market and Economy (CSME) are expected to feature prominently in the four-day deliberations of the leaders of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM), slated for Nassau, the Bahamas, 3-6 July 2001.
The regional leaders will start assembling in the Bahamas, during this weekend, to participate in the Twenty Second Meeting of the Conference of Heads of Government of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) which will officially start with a ceremonial programme of activities on Tuesday 3, July 2001, at the Centre for the Performing Arts in the Bahamanian capital, Nassau. The incumbent Chairman of the Conference is the Bahamas Prime Minister, the Right Honourable Hubert Ingraham taking over from Barbados Prime Minister, the Right Honourable Owen Arthur, who has served in this office for the first half of this year. St.Vincent and the Grenadines Prime Minister, Dr. the Honourable Ralph Gonsalves will be attending his first Meeting of the Conference as Prime Minister.
The Conference, the highest decision-making organ of the Community, is being convened against a background of significant achievements in the development process of the various sectors of the Community. Progress on the implementation of the CSME, as well as the establishment of the Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ), are likely critical issues among the items on the wide ranging agenda planned for this Forum.
The leaders are also expected to follow-up on the set of priority activities they had agreed on in February, at their Twelfth Inter-Sessional Meeting, to be undertaken during this year towards advancing the implementation process of the CARICOM Single Market and Economy. This is in addition to considering the operationalisation and functioning of the Quasi-Cabinet of the Heads of Government of the Community (CSME).
Other likely priorities of the deliberations are drug related matters and issues pertaining to HIV/AIDS which are among the Region’s critical concerns.
The CARICOM leaders are also expected to host a series of meetings with fraternal institutions, groupings and countries, among which are likely to be the Dominican Republic, the Commonwealth the Organisation of American States (OAS), and regional social partners representing Labour, Industry and Commerce among others.
