Stakeholders at the just-concluded Stakeholder consultation on the CARICOM Single Market and Economy (CSME) agree that there is value in, and benefits to be derived from the CSME.
It is appropriate to remind ourselves that it is now almost 30 years since the Grande Anse Declaration of 1989 in which member states committed themselves to transforming the Caribbean Community into a Single Market and Economy. The report of the most recent review of the CSME prepared by the Secretariat provides a useful frame of reference for these consultations.
Salutations
Good Morning All:
It is indeed a great pleasure to be with you today and tomorrow as we discuss this very important topic of the Caribbean Single Market and Economy (CSME). We are particularly happy at the Caribbean Development Bank (CDB) to support these discussions.
At this this point in time the CSME is critical for our Region.
We recently published a working paper entitled the Blueprint for the Caribbean Economy (it is available online). In this report we set out the challenges that the Caribbean face and we have categorised these challenges under:
– CDB urges CARICOM leaders
CARICOM member states must look at new ways of working to realise the full implementation of the Caricom Single Market and Economy (CSME), Dr. Justin Ram- Director of Economics at the Caribbean Development Bank has said.
To blame the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) Secretariat for the gaps in implementation of the Single Market and Economy was unfair, a former Prime Minister of Jamaica has said.
Mr. Bruce Golding, former Jamaica Prime Minister, addressed the matter frontally as a member of a high level panel that discussed the CSME during a stakeholder consultation in Georgetown, Guyana on Friday.
Is the architecture on which the CARICOM Single Market and Economy (CSME) was built appropriate today? Is the CSME overly ambitious? Is there political will and courage to continue the progress on the CSME? Why is there a deficit in the implementation of decisions?
Is the architecture on which the CARICOM Single Market and Economy (CSME) was built appropriate today? Is the CSME overly ambitious? Is there political will and courage to continue the progress on the CSME? Why is there a deficit in the implementation of decisions?
Is the Region taking account of the global context? Are we ready for the changes that are coming? Is the capacity of Caribbean Community (CARICOM) Member States adequate to put in place the infrastructure necessary for the CSME?
The Caribbean Community (CARICOM) Secretary-General Ambassador Irwin LaRocque is hosting on behalf of the lead Head of Government for the CARICOM Single Market and Economy (CSME), a Stakeholders consultation on the CSME on 8-9 June 2018 in Guyana. State and non-State stakeholders will examine the CSME and its implementation as currently configured and identify what is necessary to make it more effective and used.
Progress on the development of the Single ICT space in the Caribbean Community (CARICOM), and cyber security, are among the main areas that Information and Communication Technology (ICT) officials will discuss when they meet on 7 June.
The virtual meeting of officials that will be anchored at the CARICOM Secretariat in Georgetown, Guyana, is in preparation for a Special Meeting of Ministers of ICT in the last quarter of this year.