ST. JOHN’S, ANTIGUA – A ‘Regional Workshop on Trade for Journalists/Media Practitioners’, held in Antigua, came to a close on April 6. The two day forum was jointly organized by the Caribbean Regional Negotiating Machinery (RNM) and the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) sponsored Caribbean Trade and Competitiveness (C-TRADECOM) Program. Hon. Harold Lovell, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Trade, Tourism and International Transportation, Antigua & Barbuda, opened the workshop at an opening ceremony, April 4. He congratulated the sponsoring organizations for the initiative and took the opportunity to highlight the media’s important role in Caribbean societies, and related responsibilities. At this opening event, Mr. Corey Henry, Associate Editor–Inside US Trade (a weekly policy journal focused on both US and international trade policy issues), delivered the keynote speech: ‘Trade and Business Policy Reporting: The Practical and Conceptual Challenges Journalists Face’. The objectives of the workshop included: a) exposing and sensitizing participants to external trade negotiations and issues; b) strengthening participant’s ability to critically and ‘independently’ analyze ongoing trade negotiation issues, with a view to better informing the public; c) strengthening relations with the regional media and fostering a mutually beneficial working relationship; d) exposing participants to the tools and sources available for gathering information in the area of trade policy and negotiations; and, e) strengthening the media’s capacity to participate effectively in public discourse and consultations on external trade issues, with a variety of stakeholders The organizers sought to accomplish these objectives by first setting the stage for and putting into context the issues under consideration, by way of Mr. Henry’s conceptual review of reporting in the area of trade policy. Second, a private sector perspective was brought to the external trade environment, by juxtaposing firm level and regional private sector case examples, so as to underscore competitiveness issues. Third, CARICOM’s trade priorities were comprehensively reviewed. Allied to this latter point, ‘state-of-play’ analyses were undertaken of the three major external trade negotiations the region is involved in; namely, the World Trade Organization (WTO), Free Trade Area of the Americas (FTAA), and Africa Caribbean Pacific (ACP)-European Union (EU) Economic Partnership Agreements (EPAs). “The opportunity to report on trade policy and business issues presents one of the most interesting news environments for journalists to ply their craft”, this according to Mr. Henry. The target groups for the workshop were ‘Business Editors’ and ‘News Coordinators’ in the case of the print and broadcast media, respectively. Participants roundly praised the RNM and C-TRADECOM for spearheading the forum. “It was highly successful”, said Ms. Kaymar Jordan, News Coordinator, at the Barbados-based Caribbean Media Corporation. Ms. Geralyn Edward, a Business Writer with a prominent Barbadian newspaper, commented, “the workshop provided a unique opportunity for media practitioners; it exceeded my expectations”. Mr. Anthony Wilson, Business Editor with a major Trinidadian newspaper, was particularly impressed by the choice of resource persons and topics selected for the workshop agenda; “they were excellent”, he said. In commenting further on the workshop’s Keynote Speaker he remarked “the choice of Mr. Henry was an inspired one”. Representatives of the regional secretariats were also pleased with what the workshop was able to accomplish. Mr. Kendol Morgan, Senior Communications Officer, OECS Secretariat, said “the workshop considerably enhanced participants’ understanding of negotiations in the three major theatres CARICOM is involved; the knowledge imparted has enabled those concerned to better interpret and relay information to respective stakeholders”. The expectation is having participated in the workshop, journalists/media practitioners will have further strengthened their understanding of external trade policy issues and deepened their knowledge of multilateral, hemispheric, and regional trade agreements, which CARICOM countries are either negotiating or to which they are party. Resource persons at the workshop included: The Director-General of the RNM, Ambassador Dr. Richard Bernal; Mr. William Phelps, Chief of Party, C-TRADECOM; Mr. Corey Henry; Mr. Edward Ince, Prism; Mr. James Moss-Solomon, RNM Private Sector Advisor; Dr. Anthony Gonzales, RNM Director for WTO Matters; Ms. Michelle Lowe, RNM FTAA-Coordinator; Mr. Nand C. Bardouille, RNM Communications Officer; and, Ms. Bronwen Alsop, International Trade Specialist, C-TRADECOM. Mr. Elliott Paige, Senior Economist, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Trade, Tourism and International Transportation, Antigua & Barbuda, and Mr. George Goodwin, jr., who represented the Antigua & Barbuda Chamber of Commerce, also participated as facilitators and chaired certain sessions. Journalists/media practitioners from across CARICOM participated; countries included: Antigua & Barbuda, Barbados, Bahamas, Belize, Dominica, Grenada, Guyana, Jamaica, St. Kitts & Nevis, St. Lucia, Suriname, St. Vincent & the Grenadines, and Trinidad & Tobago. Also present were Communications Officers from the CARICOM Secretariat, the Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS) Secretariat, the Association of Caribbean States (ACS), and the RNM, respectively. The workshop is a follow-up to a similar forum held in Montego Bay, Jamaica, June 30 to July 1, 2003, in which journalists/media practitioners from across CARICOM participated.
