39th Meeting of Community Council of Ministers

− Crucial time for reform – Secretary General

Crucial time for reform – Secretary General
Caribbean Community Secretary General Irwin LaRocque said the year 2017 would be a crucial time for the reform of the Caricom Single Market and Economy.
The Ambassador called for a rigid approach to the examination and addressing of issues as the 39th Meeting of the Community Council of Ministers got underway at the Caricom Secretariat on Monday.
The Caricom Council, the second highest organ of the 15-member grouping, saw the attendance of Ministers responsible for Caricom Affairs. The Council has as its responsibility, the development of Community strategic planning and coordination in the areas of economic integration, functional cooperation and external relations in accordance with the policy directions established by the Caricom leaders.
According to LaRocque, as work commences in 2017, it is fitting that the Council with the primary responsibility for development strategic planning and coordination is first off the mark.
He said, “The items on the agenda provide ample opportunity for those gathered to do so as it discharges its responsibilities under the revised treaty. In that regard, consideration of the key issues to engage the attention of our Heads of Government at the intersessional meeting here next month is a key component of deliberations.”
Those recommendations, LaRocque stressed, should be the focus areas for the Community in 2017. Undoubtedly, one of those areas would be the CSME.

“Last July, Heads of Government mandated that a review of the status of CSME be completed for consideration of the intersessional meeting. That review is being undertaken, as well as how we can recalibrate the CSME to make it more responsive to address issues of growth and competitiveness.”
The Secretary General said too that 2017 was a crucial year for the reform process in the Caribbean Community as it moved ahead at the midpoint of the five-year strategic plan for the period 2015-2019, a foundational element of that process.
He said the operational plan for achieving the goals has been designed, identifying the specific roles for each of the implementing partners, the member states, regional institutions and the Secretariat.
The two-day meeting will see a presentation on the Caricom Results-Based Management System, as well as the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding between the Caricom Secretariat and UN Women.
Meanwhile, Caricom has reported that a sensitisation session on the CSME Regime for Free Movement of People is one of two workshops to be held in Suriname this week.
More than 30 participants will attend the one-day sensitisation training workshop today, in the Dutch-speaking Caricom Member State. The intervention will help to address the critical importance of stakeholder engagement, including with employers, the Private Sector and labour, to the successful operation of the CSME and regional integration in general.
The second workshop on Wednesday provides training for Immigration and Border Control Officers on current arrangements under the CSME. The focus will be on matters relating to the CSME arrangements for facilitation of travel and the free movement of skilled Caricom nationals. This targeted training, to be provided by officers of the Caricom Secretariat, is expected to provide a clear understanding of the principles of Free Movement and the impact of how Immigration Officers interpret their function as frontline officials.
The two workshops are being funded under the 10th European Development Fund (EDF) and will be held at the Krasnapolsky Hotel.
The Suriname workshops are among several national-level interventions by the Caricom Secretariat CSME Unit, aimed at strengthening capacity among personnel in key ministries and agencies who are tasked with advancing the implementation of the CSME.