The Eight Caribbean Community (CARICOM)-Japan Consultation was held at the Jolly Beach Resort in Antigua and Barbuda on 4-5 March 2002. The Delegation of CARICOM Member States was headed by Ambassador Colin Murdoch of Antigua and Barbuda and that of the Government of Japan was headed by Mr. Ken Shimanouchi, Director-General of the Latin American and Caribbean Affairs Bureau, Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Press Releases
A Private Sector Vision of the Development of the CARICOM Single Market and Economy (CSME) by Wendy Phipps
The St Kitts- Nevis Chamber of Industry and Commerce welcomes Government's initiative to host a national consultation with civil society on the critical issue of the CARICOM Single Market and Economy (CSME). We also appreciate the opportunity to briefly share our perspective on the path towards the development of the CSME.
The Caribbean Community (CARICOM) once again joins with the rest of the international community in commemorating the United Nations designated International Women's Day. This occasion provides an opportunity to recognize the significant role women have played in the life, livelihood and sustainability of our Region and indeed, in other parts of the world and to record our appreciation therefor.
As we meet to launch the 2001 Report of the International Narcotics Control Board I wish to acknowledge the high level of collaboration and cooperation we in the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) have had with the United Nations Drugs Control Programme (UNDCP) as we worked together on meeting international commitments.
Happy International Women's Day 2002 to the women of the Caribbean Community.
Members of the Diplomatic Corps
Dr Edmunds and Party
Deputy Secretary-General
Members of Staff of the Secretariat
Members of the Media
Ladies and Gentlemen
At a meeting at the Hilton Hotel, Kingston Jamaica, on 18-19 February 2002, Health Ministers of the Caribbean countries held a successful round of discussions with representatives of leading pharmaceutical Companies on access to care for people living with HIV/AIDS in the Region. This meeting was the first stage in a process and comes close on the heels of Trinidad and Tobago and Jamaica developing their own national plans in partnership with United Nations agencies and the pharmaceutical industry.
Having already established a Single Market for intra-regional trade in goods, the Caribbean Community has taken a significant step towards the creation of a Single market for Services, Capital and the Establishment of Businesses by CARICOM Nationals.
Civil Society Organisations in Guyana are being urged to be opportunistic in their dialogue with Government, as the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) continues its series of national consultations with the Regions' civil society, aimed at building a shared vision across the Region for the Caribbean Community, in the new century.
A cross-section of non-state interest groups are scheduled to meet later this week in the St. Vincent and the Grenadines capital, Kingstown, to continue their national dialogue with non-state actors on the regional integration process, particularly as it relates to new and emerging trade agreements. The particular concerns to be addressed by the forum will centre around "fair and just" treatment for all sectors of society as well as positioning of the small economies of the Caribbean in the global arena.