Issues pertaining to the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) trade and economic agenda will be the focus of two days of deliberations at the Fifteenth Meeting of the Council for Trade and Economic Development (COTED) which opens in Georgetown, Guyana, tomorrow, 29 May 2003.
COTED is responsible for the promotion of trade and economic development of the Community.
The COTED forum will focus heavily on regional and external agricultural issues. These include implementation of the Regional Transformation Programme for Agriculture, technical assistance initiatives, food security and strategies pertinent to major commodities and their impact on growth of the agricultural sector.
The Ministerial meeting will also consider issues relating to external trade negotiations for goods and services, particularly at the WTO and Free Trade Area of the America (FTAA). Matters relating to sustainable development and the implications for growth in the tourism sector are among the range of issues they will discuss.
The groundwork for the packed agenda has already been laid by CARICOM officials at their two-day round of deliberations which ended here yesterday 27 May 2003.
In accordance with Community process, CARICOM Ministers are expected to consider the issues and make recommendations to the Community Council, the second highest Organ in the Community's decision making structure, which is scheduled to meet in Guyana's capital on Saturday, 31 May 2003.
