Ann-Margaret Lim, Contributor
CARRINGTON
HISTORY WILL record the significance of January, 2006 to the Caribbean Community and Common Market (CARICOM). On January 1, the CARICOM Single Market (CSM) took effect, signalling the formal establishment of the newest trade bloc.
And come Monday January 30, this will be acknowledged by the symbolic signing of CSM by participating CARICOM member states at the University of the West Indies, Mona Campus.
In January also, the region will be clearer as to the mandate of the CARICOM Development Fund after president of the Caribbean Development Bank, Professor Compton Bourne makes the announcement on Monday, 23rd. Additionally, the framework for the regional Stock Exchange is to be determined then.
Specialists from the Caricom Single Market and Economy (CSME) Unit in Barbados, regional trade negotiation experts such as Professor Norman Girvan, Secretary- General of the Association of Caribbean States, and local representatives will also engage the Jamaican public in deeper discussions about the CSM during the month.
SYMBOLIC SIGNING
CARICOM Secretary-General, Dr. Edwin Carrington and some CARICOM Prime Ministers will also be present in Jamaica. Their focus, however, will be on the January 30 symbolic signing of the CSM, which is set for the Mona Campus of the University of the West Indies.
For the Prime Minister of Jamaica, the Most Honourable, P.J. Patterson, the event is particularly significant, as wearing the hat as the country's Trade Minister, he was a witness at the signing of the original Treaty of Chaguaramas on July 4, 1973, which established CARICOM.
"We have seen a great evolution in the integration movement since that signing with regional leaders, such as Eric Gairy (Grenada), Forbes Burnham (Guyana), Michael Manley (Jamaica) and Eric Williams (Trinidad and Tobago), and later the Grand Anse Declaration in 1989 which introduced a new phase in the movement toward the Single Market," said Mr. Patterson after he signed the agreement establishing the CSM, on December 30.
In the meantime, a team from the Barbadian CSME Unit, which will include Ivan Karel, head of the regional CSME Unit; Salas Hamilton, spokesperson for the media; Stephen McAndrew, Leila Narinesingh, private sector consultants at the unit will hold discourse with private sector representatives and other members of the public during that time.
Members from the Barbadian CSME team will include Ivan Karel, head of the regional CSME Unit; Salas Hamilton, spokesperson for the media; Stephen McAndrew, Leila Narinesingh, private sector consultants at the Barbadian CSME unit, the free movement resource person, and others.
CSM COMPLIANCE
On Monday and Tuesday morning, January 23 -24, between 9:00 a.m. - noon, for example, Ms. Narinesingh and her team will discourse with private sector representatives in order to further examine and explain the benefits and the required CSM compliance measures to ensure as smooth as possible a transition to the Single Market.
"These will also be one-on-one sessions with big companies," Robert Miller, head of the CSME Unit at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade told JIS News. This is set for the Pegasus hotel on Wednesday morning, January 25.
Ivan Karel, Stephen McAndrew and other CSME officials, will also address some 200 students on CARICOM on Friday, January 28 at a panel discussion to be moderated by UWI lecturer, Robert Buddhan which will be held at the Jamaica Library Service at 10:00 a.m.
- JIS
