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Honourable Jon Odlum, Parliamentary Secretary, Ministry of Community Development I bring you greetings on behalf of the staff of the Caribbean Community Secretariat, and indeed on behalf of the entire Community at the launching of this national consultation. This event today is the ninth in a series of National Consultations on critical issues involving civil society. It was the Conference of Heads of Government which met in Trinidad and Tobago in 1999, which instituted the need for a dialogue with civil society was not only critical but indespensible. And by civil society they meant the entire non-state/non-government sector. This sector for us comprises private enterprises, NGOs, labour, the churches, the media, the community, women and youth groups, and all other stakeholders with an interest in how our societies could be more effectively managed, both at the national and regional levels. In this regard, I am very glad to note that there is a good cross-section of civil society’s representatives at this national consultation. You would all know that today’s discussion is conceived as part of a process leading up to a Regional Conference on Forward Together. This Regional Conference planned for 12-13 November in Barbados, has unfortunately, at the request of Heads of Government, been postponed to early in the new year. This postponement has been triggered by the urgent need for the Community to respond to some critical matters that are affecting our economies and societies consequent upon the unprecedented terrorist attacks in the USA of September 11. Heads of Government felt they needed to give urgent and ongoing priority to that before moving ahead. We recall with deep sadness the loss of life generally, and mourn, in particular, those of our Caribbean nationals who perished. I take this opportunity, on behalf of the Secretariat, to offer condolences to the Government and people of Saint Lucia, and especially the bereaved families and friends. Our consultations today are therefore occurring at a time when the world has been somewhat disfigured by the ugly events of September 11. In this Region, our tourist and aviation industries are already greatly affected, so too are the nature and scope of our financial and offshore centers in light of new international restrictions to which September 11 have given rise. The regional national security systems and the implementation of policies on crime, illicit drugs and arms, take on renewed urgency. And as if this is not sufficient, we are now preoccupied with a new plague of Anthrax. Indeed, the configuration of global priorities may already have drastically changed since September 11, judging from the statements of the President of the USA and other leading international figures and our own Heads of Government . At this time, for example, there is a move afoot within the European Union to make reporting of money laundering activities mandatory for the legal profession and other collateral professions, including accountants, external auditors, civil servants, precious stones and metal traders, art auctioneers, currency transport companies and casinos. In Canada, there is also a call to include Charities on the list. Indeed, the world has changed since September 11 and not for the better. We in the Region must prepare for these changes that will affect both state and non-state actors. Hence, in your deliberations today, you may wish to include some discussion on the response of Saint Lucia and the Region to the current crisis, and even moreso to the strategic role of civil society. In this regard, you may wish to consider the regional response to some of the major issues that were discussed at the Special Emergency Meeting of Heads in Nassau last week. We have circulated copies of the Declaration arising out of that Emergency Meeting for your information. Significantly, this meeting started on 11 October, exactly one month after the world was traumatized by the acts of terrorism which Caribbean Heads of Government unequivocally condemned. They agreed to undertake an $18 million tourism promotional and marketing campaign, consisting primarily of television advertisements in the United States, United Kingdom and Canada. A Tourism Summit scheduled for 8-9 December 2001, in Nassau will provide the Region with an opportunity to assess the implications of September 11 and to afford us the opportunity to collectively plan the way forward for that important regional industry. The world in which we live now requires the active involvement and participation of civil society. It is not for governments alone. Important also is the establishment of a Task Force on Regional Security and Crime which will hold its first meeting on 30 October 2001 and which will focus on increasing security at seaports and airports, and on identifying strategies for collaboration and policy implementation. All of this international upheaval is happening at the precise time the Region is accelerating the process toward a Caribbean Single Market and Economy (CSME) which includes development of an integrated CARICOM industrial programming scheme; a more cohesive system for the movement of capital and the intensification of monetary cooperation; action to develop a regional system of air and sea transportation; and the free movement of skilled labour and other professional personnel. The main thrust of this process is to make the regional economy more viable in the face of global competition. In establishing the basis therefore for a viable Caribbean economy, CARICOM has been reviewing its procedures and negotiated nine Protocols which will form the legal basis and the regulatory framework by which the CSME would function effectively. In looking back, much has changed since the days of CARIFTA in 1973 when the Community was mainly concerned with establishing a Free Trade Area. One of the new dimensions of the regional integration process which will soon be on centre stage is the Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ). There has been some debate on the establishment of the Court. Indeed there has been expression of a fear that the Region is not sufficiently mature to take charge of its own legal and jurisprudential destiny. I see this as a slur on the people in the Region. I cannot accept that we do not have men and women of the calibre to take charge of our own final Court of Appeal. I am proud to know that I can come to Saint Lucia, a country of thousands and one which has produced two Nobel Prize winners- and we recently have a third for the Region from Trinidad and Tobago The Regional Negotiating Machinery (RNM) is another of our regional institutions. Established in 1997 to coordinate the Community’s external negotiations, it has demonstrated the value of a collective community approach in the face of sometimes hostile competition in a global arena even before September 11. The body is seen by many in the developed world as a model for regional negotiations. The imminence of the Free Trade Agreement of the Americas (FTAA), the Post Lome IV Arrangement, ACP-EU relations, and the World Trade Organisation, are only some of the fora that demand vigilance, expertise and a consolidated approach to negotiations. Indeed, we will need skill and leadership And on consultations, contrary to many statements in the press and elsewhere, the CARICOM process has promoted consultations among constituency groups and involvement of partners in the framing of policies on the CSME. In issues involving the Council for Trade and Economic Development (COTED), which comprises Ministers of Trade and other national officials, the private sector throughout the Region continues to be consulted. In the establishment of the Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ), the views of the legal profession and other relevant groups have been taken into consideration in modifying the implementation strategies. Indeed as far back as 1972, the organisation of Caribbean Bar Associations meeting in Dominica proposed a regional Court. In dealing with issues related to the free movement of labour in the CSME, stakeholders, including the teaching profession, the labour movement, employers’ associations, customs officers and immigration officials, have all been involved. This involvement is critical on many fronts. For example with the issue of HIV/AIDS. The issue of HIV/AIDS is a critical one for the Region and a dangerous feature of today’s society. For the youth it poses a particular great challenge. More recently, the CARICOM Community has sought to provide a more hands-on, ongoing approach role for Prime Ministers in the shaping of policies related to the various sectors by creating a Quasi Cabinet. In this system, Prime Ministers have responsibility for various regional Portfolios. In this example, your own Prime Minister is responsible for the areas of Justice and Governance. So when issues of governance arose in Guyana and Haiti, he was called upon; Belize has the function for Sustainable Development, including Environment and Disaster Management, Jamaica, External Negotiations; Barbados, the CARICOM Single Market and Economy; St. Kitts and Nevis, Health and HIV/AIDS; Grenada, Science and Technology; The Bahamas, Tourism; Antigua and Barbuda, Services; Guyana, Agriculture, Trinidad and Tobago, Security; St. Vincent, Banana; Dominica, Labour, and Suriname, Community Development and Cultural Cooperation. Only in November last did the Association of Caribbean Community Parliamentarians (ACCP) met in Belize to discuss a cross section of relevant regional issues, including HIV/AIDS. This body is an important one as it brings together parliamentarians- governments and Oppositions members for consultations. The ACCP is a unique institution in an ever-growing quest on the part of CARICOM to broaden the basis of consultation and intervention into the policy formulation process. This Consultation of Civil Society in Saint Lucia is another attempt to improve the system of governance and thereby make this Region more coherent, transparent and participatory, especially at this time when we need to stand together and move forward together. As you begin your deliberations, bear in mind that the context for civil society participation is set forth in the CARICOM Charter of Civil Society which Heads of Government formulated in 1997. We would welcome your input in learning of possible revisions or omissions in regard to that document. I wish to thank the coordinators of this Consultation for making this event possible and the Government of Saint Lucia for facilitating it. On behalf of the CARICOM Secretariat, I extend to the Government and People of Saint Lucia, warmest appreciation for fostering regional integration and to all of you who have taken the time and effort to be here today, please accept my profound gratitude. |
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