WORLD BANK SEES POLITICAL WILL IN VITAL FOLLOW-UP

(CARICOM Secretariat, Turkeyen, Greater Georgetown, Guyana) Ms. Caroline Anstey, Director, Caribbean Country Management Unit, World Bank, said the challenge that follows the Conference on the Caribbean will be to translate the tremendous capital that was evident into tangible benefits for the Caribbean people.

The World Bank, one of the co-sponsors of the Conference, held in Washington, DC from 19-21 June 2007, hosted the Experts Forum, one of three meetings held during the event.

Noting the important wealth of political, social, cultural and intellectual capital at the Conference held in three locations in Washington, DC from 19-21 June 2007, Ms Anstey said there was a lot that the Caribbean could do by and for itself.

She acknowledged, however, that the Region simply could not address on its own certain issues including drugs, trade and deportees. She noted that there was a lot of discourse on competitiveness and pointed out that now, there would be competition for attention of Regional issues on the international scene.

She reiterated the potential that resided in regionalism, but pointed out that political will was necessary for its success.