GOSIER, Guadeloupe, CMC – The Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS) has signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with the Agence Française de Développement (AFD) to cooperate towards a “more integrated and interconnected Caribbean basin.
OECS Director General, Dr. Didacus Jules, met with the head of the Three Oceans department of the AFD, Charles Trottmann, and Étienne Francis, the French Ambassador to the Eastern Caribbean states, Barbados and the OECS, to sign the accord.
According to a statement issued following the signing of “the historic agreement,” the OECS, which groups the islands of Antigua and Barbuda, Dominica, Grenada, St. Lucia, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, St. Kitts-Nevis, Montserrat, Anguilla, and the British Virgin Islands, is dedicated to economic harmonization, regional integration, and cooperation by contributing to the sustainable development of its members.
It also facilitates the integration of member states into the global economy and maximizes the benefits of their cooperation and collective action.
“Priority issues in the region are addressed through cooperation with multilateral and bilateral development partners, such as the AFD, a public financial institution that helps implement French international cooperation policy.”
The statement said after a first collaboration in the framework of the Recycle OECS Project, financed with Euro 2.5 million (One Euro=US$1.29 cents) by AFD, “the two partners agreed to expand their relations to implement joint projects and programs where their strategic priorities are aligned.
“The objective of this memorandum is to establish the framework of this cooperation and the specific sectors to be prioritized. The selected themes are human development (health and social protection, education, gender equality), preservation of natural capital (climate change, biodiversity or circular economy), and strengthening the role of private actors in regional economic development,” the statement added.
It said to achieve this goal, the OECS and AFD plan to “pool their resources and expertise and share their knowledge and innovative ideas for a more integrated and interconnected Caribbean basin.”
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