(CARICOM Secretariat, Turkeyen, Greater Georgetown, Guyana)  The CARICOM Secretariat will hold Civil Society Consultations in Member States beginning mid-June 2010. The interactive sessions with Civil Society organizations are intended to encourage civil Society’s active participation and engagement in the Caribbean integration process, including the CARICOM Single Market and Economy (CSME) by heightening awareness of the opportunities for Civil Society to contribute to our common development agenda.

The “CARICOM Civil Society Project” aims to develop coordinating mechanisms to provide for Civil Society’s involvement in regional issues, and to identify opportunities for dialogue between CARICOM decision makers and civil society on key national and regional issues. In addition, it will assist Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) in identifying opportunities to partner with governments in the development process.

The CARICOM Secretariat is implementing the project in collaboration with the Governments of CARICOM and support from the European Union. The services of a Regional Civil Society organization, the Caribbean Policy Development Centre (CPDC) have been contracted to execute the project.

The “CARICOM Civil Society Project” will hold consultations in Antigua and Barbuda, The Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Dominica, Grenada, Guyana, Haiti, Jamaica, Montserrat, Saint Lucia, St. Kitts and Nevis, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, Suriname, and Trinidad and Tobago over the next six months.

Contact:  piu@caricom.org