(CARICOM Secretariat, Turkeyen, Greater Georgetown, Guyana) The time was ripe for the review of the performance and the method of work of the Council for Trade and Economic Development (COTED), and for strategizing on its new direction that would take into account the current global economic reality, Senator the Hon. Maxine McClean told her colleagues Thursday.

Senator McClean, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade of Barbados and Chair of COTED was at the time delivering remarks at the opening ceremony of the Council’s Thirty-Third Meeting at Princess Hotel, Georgetown, Guyana.

“Colleagues, I believe that the time for stock-taking had arrived. We are at a point where we are grappling with the effects of the economic and financial crisis with the daunting prospect of another one on the way. We are at a point where our people are crying out for relief from the high cost of food and high cost of living in general. Do we as the COTED continue as we have been doing? Or is it a good time to re-evaluate our strategic direction,” she queried.

She called for a quick completion of the agenda so that there could be frank discussion on how the Council saw its role in the future development of the Community.

Against the background of capacity challenges that hampered Member States from implementing decisions, Minister McClean signaled that there was need for consideration of how, as a Community, “we can assist each other in meeting our obligation”.

“… I have been made aware of the discussions by our Officials centering on sanctions or more precisely on the lack of sanctions in our arrangement. While I believe it is by no means the proposal or desire for the Community to impose sanctions on any Member State for failing to comply on any issue, we must consider the fact that in many instances, it is the sole responsibility of a Member State to implement an undertaking to which that member State has committed itself. In certain instances, there are serious implications for the Community arrangements, especially when some states have implemented what they are required to do so and others have failed to do so,” the COTED Chair said.

Secretary-General of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) Ambassador Irwin LaRocque, in his remarks at the opening, also made reference to the Ministerial Meeting becoming more strategic in its outlook, bearing in mind that the time spent “rehashing the issues without resolution, has an economic cost and it fuels frustration among us as well”.

He also alluded to the perceptions that there was inconsistent application of and non-adherence to decisions of the Organs of the Community. There was also widespread unease over the length of time some issues remained unresolved and were constantly on the agenda of Meetings. In addition, he said, the agenda of the COTED, should perhaps place greater focus on the productive sector and its competitiveness.

“There is frustration at the perceived inconsistent application of, and in some cases, non-adherence to the decisions of the Organs of the Community. One constant concern, particularly to our youth, revolves around the procedure for issuance and recognition of skills certificates, which allows for free movement of skilled Community nationals. These procedures are not harmonised across all Member States,” he pointed out.