(CARICOM Secretariat, Turkeyen, Greater Georgetown, Guyana) Secretary-General of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM), H.E. Edwin Carrington has accredited the regional flagship programme, the CARICOM Single Market and Economy (CSME) as the Community’s best and perhaps only chance of coping in the face of globalisation.
Delivering remarks at the opening of the Twenty-Second Meeting of the CARICOM Council for Trade and Economic Development (COTED), the Secretary-General noted that the meeting was an historic one, following closely on the full signing on by all 12 participating Member States in Single Market arrangements.
Mr. Carrington urged that the necessary steps be made by the Community to facilitate the implementation of the Single Economy, “thereby completing the process of establishing a more competitive Caribbean Regional economy.”
In the latter context, the CARICOM Secretary-General noted that legal, administrative, technical support were among the steps required to facilitate the CSME process, towards the creation of a single economic space. He said, “Properly managed, the process, teething problems notwithstanding, can significantly enhance the Regions’ economic competitiveness and provide major benefits – income and jobs – for its peoples.”
Mr Carrington said the Community needed “to ensure greater synergy between our drive towards a single market and economy – that is our internal policy – and our external trade negotiations. Furthermore, we need to continue to intensify our technical and diplomatic work and solidify our unity in regard to our external trade and negotiations matters,” he added.
Minister of State at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade, Barbados, Hon Kerrie Simmonds, the immediate past chair of the COTED, said the CSME was an “inescapable reality” that was crucial to the advancement of the Region. He pointed out that significant strides had been made over the last months in support of institutional and collaborative arrangements involving a number of stakeholders including the private sector.
While emphasising that that the Region should employ “the best trade and commercial practices” to build greater confidence among the people of the Region, Minister Simmonds said that a highly effective Single Market also required an effective transportation system to facilitate trade.
Chairman of the COTED Meeting, Hon. Eamon Courtney, the Minister of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade of Belize, stressed that the time had come for decisive action to be taken by the Community to propel the integration process.
The Twenty-Second Meeting of the COTED ends on Friday 17 November.
