Chair of COTED Honourable Clifford Marica, Minister of Trade and Industry of Suriname
Hon Carolyn Rodrigues-Berkett, Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Trade of Guyana
Other Hon. Ministers of Government
Their Excellencies/Ambassadors to the Caribbean Community
Other Heads of Delegation
Representatives of Regional and International organizations
Members of Staff of the CARICOM Secretariat
Representatives of the Media
Ladies and Gentlemen

Hon. Ministers, Ladies and Gentlemen as we begin this 29th Meeting of the Council for Trade and Economic Development (COTED), the catastrophic disaster that has befallen our Member State, Haiti is foremost in our minds. This year, Haiti was set to commence participation in the Trade in Goods regime of the Community. Given the devastation that has occurred in that country this will no longer be possible. As a Community we must continue to support Haiti and allow that country sufficient time to once again continue its efforts to participate fully in the CSME as a key factor in its development. We are appreciative of the expressions of support and goodwill, within the Region and outside of it that we have been receiving on Haiti’s behalf. I inviyte you to stand for a moment of silence for the many persons- Haitian, other Caribbean nationals and non-Caribbean nationals – who died in the earthquake.

The Secretary-General who visited Haiti on the week-end with the Chairman of Conference Prime Minister Skerrit, is unavoidably absent this morning, but has asked me to convey to the participants of this meeting his sincere wishes for successful deliberations. I wish to join Minister Rodrigues-Berkett in wishing you a warm welcome to this very important meeting of the Council for Trade and Economic Development. We at the Secretariat also wish to express our gratitude to the officials who had three days of intense consultations that often went way into the night in preparation for this meeting today.

Ministers, ladies and gentlemen we meet once again on a very weighty agenda: to determine ways to promote the development of our economies, oversee the operation of the CSME, and the way forward in our trade relations – both regional and international.

These deliberations on issues that affect both our economic and social development, are taking place in a changed and changing environment – one that is rules-based both regionally and internationally.

These changes have underscored the need for our Councils to be more transparent in policies and practices and to engage with stakeholders and encourage them to be more involved in the decision-making process.

The need for quick, decisive action is even more important. We are faced with the decimation of one of our most important industries – bananas. Sugar is not far behind. There are challenges in the rum industry. Our economies are continuing to reel from the effects of the global crises. The need has never been greater for us to strengthen the operations of our Single Market.

Hon. Ministers, the naysayers are hard at work. They question the very existence of the Community. They would have us believe that the `flagship’ of the Community is stuck in the mud. We must continue to prove them wrong. We must continue to affirm that the Community is alive and well, that our members are committed to integration.

We have made significant achievements; there is no naysaying that. The appraisal of the state of implementation of the CSME has been completed and the report of the findings is on the agenda for consideration at this meeting. This appraisal reveals that for the most part that the Single Market, which entered its fifth year this year, is functioning and that there is mutual access to the markets of Member States.

There is no doubt that a lot more needs to be done. A few short weeks ago, the Secretary-General charged Member States to make progress on Contingent Rights, one of the essential elements of the free movement platform of the Single Market. I reiterate his call and charge you, our Ministers, to ensure that there is resolution to those matters that are preventing us from moving forward with the Protocol on Contingent Rights, one of the measures that would help give full expression to the commingling of our peoples.

On the trade agenda, a comprehensive review of the Common External Tariff (CET) and Rules of Origin will be undertaken this year to allow for greater harmonization of our policies and trading practices within the CSME. We are also well on the way to completing a regional strategic plan for Services. Through the work being undertaken by the CARICOM Regional Organisation for Standards and Quality (CROSQ), harmonized standards are being adopted in our Member States.

In the external arena negotiations for a CARICOM-Canada Trade and Development Agreement have commenced and the Region continues to prepare for EPA implementation.

Hon. Ministers, ladies and gentlemen all of us are anticipating that the deliberations over the next two days will lead to decisive conclusions on the way forward. The livelihood of our peoples depends on it. Thank you.

CONTACT: piu@caricom.org