The Second General Meeting between the UN Secretariat and its Specialised Agencies and the Caribbean Community Secretariat and Associate Institutions concluded in Nassau, The Bahamas on 28 March, 2000. The CARICOM delegation was led by Dr Carla Barnett, Deputy Secretary-General. The UN system delegation was led by Mr Patrizio Civili, Assistant Secretary-General, Economic and Social Affairs.
The Meeting expressed satisfaction with the progress made in the implementation of areas agreed in the First Meeting which was held at the Headquarters of the United Nations in New York in May 1997 and noted in particular the progress made in the following areas of collaboration:
- Completion of the framework for the creation of the Caribbean Single Market and Economy;
- Capacity building in the preservation, protection and promotion of intellectual property rights;
- Social policy formulation especially in the areas of youth development the advancement of women, health services and the protection and promotion of the rights of the child;
- Implementation of the Programme of Action for the Sustainable Development of Small Island Developing States;
- Implementation of the Plan of Action for Drug Control Coordination and Cooperation;
- Support for strengthening democracy and governance in the Region;
- Support for the Region’s preparation for the five-year review of international conferences and Summits.
The ongoing collaboration between UN and its Agencies and CARICOM was noted and new areas of cooperation were identified.
The Meeting agreed that the future programme of work should be structured within the following framework:
- Implementation of CARICOM Single Market and Economy;
- Positioning of CARICOM in the global economy particularly support for international policy formation, capacity building and training; assistance in developing policies on internet and E-commerce ;
- Human and Social Development including human resource development, Poverty alleviation, Food Security, the Plan of Action for Drug Control Coordination and Cooperation, a regional strategic plan on HIV/AIDS; and the Strengthening of Governance and Security in the Region;
- Follow-up to the Barbados Programme of Action for Small Island Developing States;
- Follow-up to Resolution 54/225 on Promoting an integrated management approach to the Caribbean Sea area in the context of sustainable development;
- Development of cooperation programmes in the field of public information between CARICOM and the UN system;
The Meeting agreed to pursue the following modalities for deepening collaboration:
- ongoing interaction between CARICOM and the regional offices of the UN system;
- an interim meeting in 2001 in one of the Caribbean offices of the UN system;
- instituting the general meeting of the two Secretariats on a biennial basis;
- establishing of a web-site to assist in monitoring the implementation of the programme of cooperation.
The Meeting agreed that the Report of the Meeting will be finalised and published shortly.
Nassau, The Bahamas
28 March, 2000
