Regional Transportation Commission meets in Georgetown

The Regional Transportation Commission (RTRC) met at the CARICOM Secretariat in Georgetown, Guyana, on February 1, to continue its work towards the provision of adequate, efficient and safe transportation services at affordable cost to the people of the Community.

In July 2013, conscious that transportation services delivered in CARICOM had to address the needs of the travelling public and intra-Regional trade and also serve to integrate the Community, the CARICOM Heads of Government agreed to the urgent establishment of a Transportation Commission to address air and maritime transportation matters.

In the context of the Commission, Regional transportation issues for both air and maritime transportation relate to the delivery of adequate, fair, competitive, efficient transportation services at affordable costs; the paramount need for the safety and security of the transportation infrastructure; the cost and sustainability of transportation in the Region; and the strengthening of the economic development of the CARICOM Region and the Member States, and their economic integration through trade and the movement of people and freight.

The meeting held on Monday was the sixth of the Commission where discussions focused on the Commission’s 2015 activities, its work programme for this year and defining a strategy to foster new and innovative means of optimising collaboration among States, industry, and development partners and financing. The meeting acknowledged that although there was progress in the areas of both air and maritime transport, there was the necessity for accelerating the Commission’s work.

While acknowledging the progress made by the Technical Negotiating Team on Air Services -, the Team established to conclude the negotiations of the Multilateral Air Services Agreement (MASA) – there was also recognition of the need to complete the MASA and the process to establish the Fast Ferry service for the Southern Caribbean.

A newer proposal was also presented regarding a strategic approach towards the promotion of sustainable transportation policies, strategies and activities in CARICOM regarding the use of energy.

Chairman of the Transportation Commission is Mr. Godfred Pompey, Permanent Secretary, Ministry of National Security, Air and Seaport Development, St. Vincent and the Grenadines.  Other members of the Commission who attended the meeting were Mr. Anthony Archer, retired Director of Civil Aviation, Barbados who chairs the Air Transport Committee, and Mr. David Robin, Director, Maritime Administration of St. Vincent and the Grenadines and Chair of the Maritime Transport Committee. Industry partners at the meeting were Mr. Victor Hernandez, Regional Officer, Air traffic Management and Search and Rescue of the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO); Mr. George Nicholson, Director of Transport and Disaster Risk Reduction of the Association of Caribbean States (ACS); Mr. Ken Aldonza, Sustainable Energy Project Office, REETA Project, Caribbean Sustainable Energy Forum (CSEF), Mr. Damien Reeves, Economist of the Caribbean Development Bank (CDB) and Mr. Brian McNish, Transportation Specialist, Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) and Dr. Krista Lucenti, Integration and Trade Economist, Integration and Trade Sector.

Meanwhile, a special meeting of the ACS, the Executive of the Commission – Chairman and chairpersons of the two Committees – and the CARICOM Secretariat was held on, February 2, 2016. The purpose of this meeting was to discuss connectivity. In the latter quarter of 2015, the Secretariat was in discussion with the ACS on the matter of transportation, specifically ferry service operations.

The participation of the executive of the RTRC was made possible by the ACS which enabled the Commission to have its first partial on-site meetng, since its establishment in 2013.