A cross-section of interest groups in Trinidad and Tobago, Member State of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM), will be afforded the opportunity to contribute to the regional strategy for taking the integration movement forward at a national consultation slated for tomorrow in the Trinidadian capital, Port-of-Spain.
The twin-island Republic private and public sectors, Labour, Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs) and other interest groups are being mobilised as part of a region-wide initiative aimed at fostering Civil Society’s active participation in the sustainable development of the integration process.
The national consultations will be fielding contributions from all the Member States, leading into the regional forum, scheduled for Barbados from 12-13 November 2001. The regional civil society encounter, which will be staged under the theme “Forward Together”, was initiated by the Heads of Government of the CARICOM. The aim is to set the stage for greater interaction between the Community’s political leadership and civil society.
Assistant Secretary-General for Human and Social Development, Dr. Edward Greene, at a recent national consultation, observed that the aim of the Heads of Government’s initiative was “to advocate a vision of development that is inclusive and that can be translated into practical policies”, with a view to making the Caribbean more competitive in the global environment.
He emphasised that it is investing in Caribbean citizens as a basis for taking advantage of new opportunities and providing for the upliftment of culture, which underpins the societies of the Region.
CARICOM Heads of Government at their Seventh Special Meeting of the Conference in Chaguaramas, Trinidad and Tobago, in October 1999, issued an appeal for collaboration with Civil Society in setting the agenda for the Community into the new millennium.
The Civil Society national and regional interactions seek to identify strategies for financing development that pay attention to the needs of the poor and marginalised groups, as well as to establish new approaches to collaboration and consultation between civil society and government, especially in the pursuit of the CARICOM Single Market and Economy (CSME).
The forum is also expected to form the basis for strengthening the scope for dialogue and collaboration among the various strands of Non State Actors in promoting regional development.
The series of national consultations, which began in June 2001, gleaned contributions from Jamaica, Barbados, Belize, St. Vincent and the Grenadines and St Kitts and Nevis. Other Member States listed to make their contribution include Guyana, Suriname, Montserrat, Grenada, Dominica the Bahamas and Saint. Lucia.
