(CARICOM Secretariat, Turkeyen, Greater Georgetown, Guyana) Following national consultations in, and with, fifteen Caribbean Community Member States in 2010 as an integral part of the “CARICOM Civil Society Project”, a Regional Civil Society Consultation is set to be held in Trinidad and Tobago, 10-11 February 2011. This Regional Consultation is a critical activity of the Project in that it synthesizes the findings of the national consultations for discussion and examination by some 100 representatives of civil society.

The “CARICOM Civil Society Project”, funded through the European Union’s 9th European Development Fund, is implemented by the CARICOM Secretariat in collaboration with the Governments of CARICOM and facilitated by the Caribbean Policy Development Centre (CPDC).

Between June and November 2010, the project held national 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, and Trinidad and Tobago. Civil Society groups in Suriname submitted their responses to the questionnaire which formed part of the national consultations.

The interactive sessions at national level were intended to encourage Civil Society’s active participation and engagement in the CARICOM processes, including the CARICOM Single Market and Economy (CSME), by heightening awareness of the opportunities for Civil Society to contribute to the development agendas of the Member States of the Caribbean Community.

Further, the project aims to identify opportunities for dialogue between CARICOM decision makers and civil society on key national and regional issues, and partnership with governments in the development process.

CONTACT: piu@caricom.org