CARICOM Secretariat Moves to Improve Civil Society Engagement

CARICOM Secretary-General, Dr. Carla Barnett, has hosted the first in a series of discussions with the leadership of Regional civil society stakeholders, as the Secretariat seeks to review its process for the engagement of the social partners.

Addressing the senior management teams of the Caribbean Policy Development Centre (CPDC) and the Caribbean Congress of Labour (CCL), Dr Barnett explained that this renewed focus is expected to enable more meaningful dialogue and exchanges.

“We want to ensure greater collaboration, coordination and inclusivity in interactions with the Organs and Bodies, CARICOM Secretariat, Community Institutions, and our social partners,” she said.  She noted that one objective of the series of consultations was to develop a mechanism for structured, ongoing engagement.

Both groups welcomed the initiative. Richard Jones, Officer in Charge of the CPDC, committed to engage its members for their views and perspectives on regional development policies and programmes, share Community information, and help to raise awareness of the CARICOM Charter of Civil Society.

President of the CCL, Andre Lewis, expressed appreciation for the Secretariat’s efforts to include the labour sector in formulating and implementing policy, noting that is important to reflect the views of workers.

The Secretariat plans to host ongoing consultations with Regional social and economic partners to allow for information sharing and a more diverse citizen contribution to the policies and programmes which drive the regional integration process.