We the Heads of Government of the Caribbean Community, assembly at Kingston, Jamaica –
DECLARE as follows:
Democracy and Popular Participation
We resolve, and enjoin our citizens to pursue all of our just economic, social and political objectives within the framework of our deeply cherished democratic traditions,
We are determined to strengthen the processes by providing every opportunity for the full involvement of all our citizens in the governance of their affairs, in particular the deepening of our integration effort toward the achievement of a truly authentic Caribbean personality.
We reiterate our commitment to establishing an Assembly of Caribbean Community Parliamentarians with representatives from both government and opposition members of our Parliaments. This Assembly will be deliberative and consultative and will, we confidently expect, be a powerful influence on the integration movement and on furthering democratic processes in the Region.
Human Resource Development
We are more than ever convinced that the development of the human resources of the Region, including indigenous entrepreneurship, and the expansion of the knowledge base, must constitute central elements in regional and national development strategies. We re-affirm our intentions to take speedy action to implement the Resolution on Human Resource Development adopted at our Tenth Meeting in Grenada in July 1989.
We are gratified by the progress being made by the University of the West Indies in finalising its Development Plan for the period 1990-2000. We encourage the University to pursue its effort to mobilise resources for the implementation of the Plan.
We look forward to the regional universities working together to achieve the common aim of expanding access to university education, and to upgrade their teaching, research, and outreach programmes.
All institutions of education and training have to gear themselves for an accelerated effort to equip the peoples of the Region with the knowledge and skills necessary to function a highly competitive and technology-driven world.
Our Governments will make their best efforts to provide more resources for education and training, but ultimately this is a task for our communities as a whole. We invite the private sector and the communities at large to join in the task of mobilising resources for these purposes.
The strengthening of the knowledge base requires a major effort in the field of science and technology aimed at finding new and improved methods for utilising the natural resource of the Region, and at adapting and utilising state-of-the-art technologies in the production of goods and services. We are determined to push research, in particular research and development, in a number of new and emerging fields, such as biotechnology, informatics, energy, and material sciences. To that end existing mechanisms will be strengthened and new ones devised, to promote the fullest possible collaboration among the scientists of the Region.
Sustainable Development
Recognising that our economic development should be sensitive to environmental concerns, we reaffirm our strong commitment to achieving patterns of sustainable development that will permit improvements in standards of living with protection of the ecology. We will cooperate with the international community in the pursuit of these environmental concerns. We pledge our support, in particular, for the Guyana Forestry Project and urge the international community to support its implementation.
Common Market
The process for establishing a Single Market by 1993 – to which we committed ourselves in our Grand Anse Declaration – is well on the way. We will implement the revised Common External Tariff (CET), the Rules of Origin and the Revised Scheme for the Harmonisation of Fiscal Incentives by January 1, 1991 and will commence cross-listing and trading of securities on the existing stock exchanges on January 1, 1991. We have all signed the CARICOM Industrial Programming Scheme (CIPS) and have all reaffirmed our resolve to remove all remaining barriers to intraregional trade by July 1991.
We are now positioned to go further. Accordingly, we agree to:
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(i) mandate the governors of our Central Banks to commence study as soon as possible for consideration by the Heads of Government to transform our Common Market into a monetary union;
(ii) institutionalise a twice-yearly meeting of our Ministers of Finance and Senior Finance Officials; (iii) request the Governors of our Central Banks to meet on a more frequent and systematic basis and mandate them to work towards the coordination of the establishment of a monetary union; (iv) mandate the Common Market Council, assisted by the Secretary-General to appoint a Commissioner to facilitate and expedite the timely implementation of all the actions in our Grand Anse Declaration and in this Declaration; (v) respond positively, as a group, to any initiative to increase economic cooperation in the wider region and hemisphere; (vi) cooperate fully in the identification, management and effective exploitation of the resources in our exclusive economic zones. We instruct our relevant Ministers to develop the necessary informational, institutional and human resource bases to this end. |
Disaster Prevention and Preparedness
We declare our determination to establish before the next hurricane season through an Inter-Governmental Agreement, a Caribbean Disaster Emergency Response Agency for immediate and coordinated emergency relief.
We request continued support of the international system for the Pan Caribbean Disaster Prevention and Preparedness Project (PCDPPP) while we put the Caribbean Disaster Emergency Response Agency in place.
Peace, Stability and Security
We are deeply conscious that the political freedom, economic well-being and social progress, desired by our peoples can best be achieved in an environment of peace, stability and security. We therefore commit ourselves to the establishment of a regional security mechanism, having amongst its function:
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– assisting Member States in clearly defined situations which threaten their sovereignty;
– forming part of a regime of enforcement of all facets of maritime jurisdiction; – enhancing our enforcement capability in the war against international narco-traffickers. |
Conclusion
We recognise the enormity of these commitments but are confident that our resolve and the commitment of our people are equal to the task.
Kingston, Jamaica
2 August 1990
