ST GEORGE’S, Grenada, CMC – Two of Grenada’s ambassadors are hailing the functional cooperation of the Caribbean Community Caricom (Caricom), as the hallmark of its success, as it celebrates 50 years.
On a local television programme, Grenada’s Ambassador to the Caribbean Community (Caricom), Aaron Moses says functional cooperation is one of the greatest successes of the Caribbean Community (Caricom), adding that it is most evident in the work of the Council of Ministers.
“So the functional cooperation, which really is driven by the Council of Ministers, is where a lot of the issues in the region are addressed,” Moses said.
Ambassador Moses acknowledged that there have been high and low points in the Caricom construct over the years but said that as a collective, there have been more benefits to the member states than drawbacks.
He said he believes the community could have achieved much more but its efforts were stymied by lack of resources and an implementation deficit, “where a lot of things were agreed, but nothing gets done as ministers and prime ministers go back to their countries”.
The Caricom ambassador said “there are over 15 regional institutions that serve the Caribbean quite effectively and it can only have been achieved because it was done jointly,” adding that the lack of marketing of these institutions is the reason why “Caricom pride” is negligent among nationals of the member states.
“I think there’s much to be done and it all hinges on the lack of effective communication over the period as to the potential and true benefits of Caricom; and that speaks to the lack of resources, it speaks to the lack of appreciation that all these things have to have been done, but they have not been marketed to the people,” Ambassador Moses said.
At the same time, Grenada’s Permanent Representative and Ambassador to the United Nations Chè Phillip, who was also a guest on the programme believe the 2001 Revised Treaty of Chaguaramas which includes the Caricom Single Market and Economy (CSME) was pivotal to “when the business of Caricom becomes tangible to nationals in member states”.
“The Revised Treaty 2001, was the beginning of a different trajectory, a different tone and a different type of real benefit that nationals were able to get,” Ambassador Phillip said.
He listed institutions such as the Caribbean Examinations Council (CXC), the University of the West Indies (UWI), Caribbean Disaster Emergency Management Agency (CDEMA), the Caribbean Public Health Agency (CARPHA), and the Caribbean Aviation Safety and Security Oversight Systems (CASSOS) as tangible success stories of the regional integration movement.
“All of these institutions and associate institutions are direct achievements of Caricom,” Ambassador Phillip said, adding that “we may not always be able to articulate it like that but they are there; they are real, they’re tangible.”
He said public education and programme implementation would be the two key factors for keeping Caricom relevant in the years to come.
“I think the more you start getting the business of Carciom into the consciousness of our citizens and our nationals, I think people would start to feel as though there’s more there than just men in suits and ties meeting every once in a while,” the recently appointed ambassador said.
Phillip conceded that affecting implementation would not be easy but is hopeful that the current construct of the region’s leadership,” can make a fundamental difference because what I think, is generally there is a political will…and objective to really advance and improve the lives and quality of lives of our Caricom nationals and the Community on a whole.”
Ambassador Moses agrees that “there is a significant opportunity now because we have a group of leaders who, there’s tremendous synergy.
He added that, “they’re seeing things from a different perspective and there’s some commonalities in appreciation of our challenges; and one of the things that we need to do to effect some measure of transformation.”
