CHRIST CHURCH, BARBADOS – The Sixteenth Meeting of the Caricom Council for Trade and Economic Development (COTED) was held in Belize City, Belize, during the first week of March.
Several key decisions were made regarding external trade matters, including on issues related to the World Trade Organization (WTO) and Free Trade Area of the Americas (FTAA), respectively.
Concerning Africa Caribbean Pacific-European Union (ACP-EU) Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA) negotiations, COTED affirmed that a regional EPA must make a meaningful contribution to development.
Trade
Hon. Julian Hunte President of the United Nations General Assembly and (UNGA) Minister of Foreign Affairs, International Trade and Civil Aviation of Saint Lucia
Colleague Ministers
Secretary-General
Delegates
Members of the Media
Ladies and Gentlemen
CHRIST CHURCH, BARBADOS – A World Trade Organization (WTO) General Council meeting was convened, February 11. There was consensus in the General Council on chairpersons for various WTO bodies.
Barbados’ representative to the WTO, H.E. Ambassador Trevor Clarke, is set to take up the chairmanship of the Committee on Trade and Development. A considerable amount of the WTO’s work on trade and development issues takes place in this Committee.
CHRIST CHURCH, BARBADOS – The Seventeenth Meeting of the Free Trade Area of the America’s (FTAA) Trade Negotiations Committee (TNC) ended inconclusively, the evening of February 6. The five-day meeting of Trade Vice-Ministers, from thirtyfour nations in the Americas, was held in Puebla, Mexico, February 2 to 6.
CHRIST CHURCH, BARBADOS – Announced last year, leaders from thirty-four
countries in the Americas were called to focus and deliberate on three principal
topics, inter alia_ combating poverty, promoting social development, and
strengthening democratic governance, at a Special Summit in the city of Monterrey,
Nuevo León, Mexico, January 12 to 13, 2004. Caribbean leaders were amongst the
invited Heads of State.
The Special Summit’s purpose was slated as “advancing the implementation of
CHRIST CHURCH, BARBADOS – The G-20 – which was formed ahead of and rose to prominence at the ill-fated Fifth World Trade Organization (WTO) Ministerial Conference, this past September - met in Brasilia, Brazil, December 11 to 12. The meeting was convened ahead of a high-level WTO General Council meeting, set for December 15. The meeting took place at Ministerial level. It was intended as an interchange and coordinative session focused on how to advance multilateral agricultural negotiations and, allied to this, attaining progress in the stalled Doha Round.
Caribbean Regional Negotiating Machinery (RNM) Director-General, Ambassador Dr. Richard Bernal, was appointed Honorary Professor at the Sir Arthur Lewis Institute of Social and Economic Studies of the University of the West Indies (UWI), October 2003. The appointment comes in recognition of Ambassador Bernal’s contribution to the work and progress of the institution over the years. The distinction Ambassador Bernal has brought to UWI was recognized in letters of congratulation from Professor the Hon. Rex Nettleford, Vice Chancellor-UWI, and other distinguished persons.
Caribbean Trade Ministers will meet with the Mexican Foreign Minister and the Director General of the World Trade Organisation, (WTO), Dr. Supachai Panitchpakdi in Georgetown, Guyana on Friday 28 November, 2003. H.E Ernesto Derbez, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Mexico was the Chairman of the Fifth Session of the WTO Ministerial Conference, which was held in Cancun in early September.
The meeting is scheduled to take place from 3.00 p.m. at the Conference Room of the headquarters of the CARICOM Secretariat, Bank of Guyana Building.
CARICOM Secretary-General Mr. Edwin Carrington is closing off a busy year with a heavy schedule of engagements, which began last weekend.