GEORGETOWN, Guyana, Caribbean Community (CARICOM) trade and economic development are entering the final day of their deliberations here on Tuesday, amid a reminder that mainstreaming trade into the affairs of the regional integration movement is “absolutely necessary.”
St. Lucia’s External Affairs, International Trade, Civil Aviation, and Diaspora Affairs Minister, Alva Baptiste, who is chairing the two-day Council for Trade and Economic Development (COTED) meeting, spoke of the “serious issues” occupying the attention of the regional trade ministers.
“We are not navigating in ordinary weather and in ordinary times. We have to navigate the turbulent air pockets of the change from the old Bretton Woods era to the new neo-liberal environment, and indeed, that airspace is turbulent,” Baptiste told his colleagues/.
He expressed confidence in the region’s ability to rise above the challenges within the constraints of limited resources.
“Mainstreaming trade in our affairs is not only of critical importance but absolutely necessary for our survival. And so that environment that contains the seeds of our region’s continued marginalization must be dealt with in a manner that is positive progressive”, Baptiste said.
He said as the region faces large macro-economic challenges, it needs to respond frontally in the framework of an integrated world.
The Guyana-based CARICOM Secretariat said that the ministers, representatives of regional institutions, and other delegates are meeting virtually and in person, and among the matters on the agenda are the implementation of the CARICOM Single Market and Economy (CSME), including the facilitation of additional categories of skilled Community nationals – agricultural workers, domestic workers, and private security workers.
Under the CSME umbrella, the ministers will also focus on mergers and acquisitions, the implementation of the CARICOM Marketplace and Suspension Procedure (CIMSuPro), and the public procurement regime for the Community.
Trade in goods; external economic and trade matters, including the outcomes of the 12th World Trade Organisation Ministerial Conference in June this year; and matters related to future trade agreements will be subjects of discussion, the Secretariat said, adding the ministers will also consider a number of Standards for approval.
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