(CARICOM Secretariat, Turkeyen, Greater Georgetown, Guyana) The Twenty-First Meeting of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) Council of Ministers takes place at the Accra Beach Hotel, Christ Church, Barbados on Friday 8 February 2008 with a review of the preparations for next month’s 19th Inter-Sessional Meeting of the Conference of Heads of Government among the items listed for the Council’s attention.

The Inter-Sessional Meeting is scheduled for The Bahamas on 7-8 March and the Community Council, the second-highest decision-making organ of CARICOM, has responsibility for approving the agenda for the meeting of Heads of Government.

The Council also receives reports from the specialist Ministerial councils of the Community and in that regard at this meeting receive reports from meetings held by the Council for Trade and Economic Development (COTED) and a Joint meeting of COTED and the Council for Human and Social Development (COHSOD). Both these meetings were held last month, January, in Georgetown, Guyana.

The Community Council, among other items, will also discuss preparations for a second Conference on the Caribbean scheduled for June 2008 in New York, USA following last year’s inaugural Conference held in Washington D.C. The Council will look at preparations for CARIFESTA X to be held in Georgetown from 22-31 August 2008. The meeting will also consider for approval the 2008-2009 Work Programme and Budget of the CARICOM Secretariat.

The Community Council consists of Ministers responsible for Community Affairs and any other Minister designated by Member States, and holds primary responsibility for the development of Community strategic planning and co-ordination in the areas of economic integration, functional co-operation and external relations.