(CARICOM Secretariat, Turkeyen, Great Georgetown, Guyana) Consultations under the CARICOM Civil Society Project 2010 began in Saint Lucia, Monday, with a call from Her Excellency Dr. June Soomer, Saint Lucia’s Ambassador to the Caribbean Community, to ensure that the two-day consultations end with clear statements as to how Saint Lucia’s Civil Society intends to implement and move forward with Civil Society participation in governance.

Dr. Soomer urged the participants, who represent Civil Society, to take the messages of the consultation back to their constituents, because too often people attend meetings and workshops, but fail to share the content of the discussions with their constituents to secure involvement at all levels.

Ambassador Soomer committed the Government of Saint Lucia to working with National and Regional Civil Society on the project.

The “CARICOM Civil Society Project 2010” is implemented by the CARICOM Secretariat, in cooperation with the Governments of CARICOM Member States, the Caribbean Policy Development Centre and with the support of the European Union. It aims to identify opportunities for dialogue between CARICOM Member States and Civil Society on key national and regional issues, and to assist Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) in identifying and participating in opportunities in the development process.

The commitment of Saint Lucia was reiterated by the Honourable Leonard Montoute, Minister of Social Transformation, Youth and Sport in an address delivered on his behalf by Ms. Maria Medard, Permanent Secretary in the Ministry. He described the CARICOM Civil Society Consultations as “a most important exercise that seeks to meaningfully engage Civil Society in the pursuit of a CARICOM Single Market and Economy (CSME)."

The Minister said “the Grand Anse Declaration and Work Programme for the advancement of the integration movement remains a practical and desirable framework, worthy of being relentlessly pursued by all and sundry within the Region. He concluded “Heads of Government need to accelerate the process leading to the eventual establishment of the CSME."

In-country coordination for the consultations is done by the Ministry of Social Transformation, Youth and Sport.

The Project will see consultations with civil society 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.

CONTACT: piu@caricom.org