Major Institutions that Foster Caribbean Integration Process

CARICOM The Caribbean Common Market and Community was established by the Treaty of Chaguaramas in Its aims were to create an integrated regional market; promulgate a collective foreign policy and promote cooperation in areas such as education, health and training.

Composition Members – former British colonies; Guyana, Suriname, Haiti, Belize. Associate Members – Turks and Caicos Is., UK Virgin Is., Anguilla, Puerto Rico. Observers – Aruba, Bermuda, Cayman Is., Columbia, Dominican Republic, Mexico.

Achievements Creates a larger market for member states. Gives the region an influential voice in global matters. Institutions - CDERA, CMO, CFNI – provide services to member states. Negotiates regional economic agreements.

Limitations Competition among member states for overseas markets. Continued dominance of foreign companies. Fragmented foreign policy position especially regarding US regional policies.

Challenges Sharing amongst member states the wealth generated fro natural resources. Improving dissemination of information, implementation and ratification of decisions. Resolving conflict between national profiling versus a united regional stance.

University of the West Indies The UWI has been functioning since 1948.It has three campuses located in Jamaica, Trinidad, Barbados and eleven centres in non- campus territories.

Achievements Promotes understand among Caribbean peoples of different cultures. Adds to GDP of beneficiary countries. Offers courses relevant to the needs of the region. Puts the Caribbean on the global stage. Plays a critical role in the educational advancement of the people of the region.

Challenges Competition from foreign universities which enter into partnership with local agencies to offer their programmes locally. Individual governments who see the need for a local university to meet the increasing demand for tertiary education. The need to expand to raise the level of graduates.

Caribbean Tourism Organization Established in It is an international development agency located in Barbados. The primary objective of CTO is to provide to and through its members the services and information necessary for the development of sustainable tourism for the economic and social benefit of the Caribbean people.

Composition Government membership reflects the region’s diversity and include French, English, Spanish and Dutch speaking territories. Private Sector membership: retail travel industry (tour operators, hotel accommodation); carrier members (regional and int’l air carriers); allied members (firms, agencies providing goods and services

Activities Tourism marketing Research and information management – providing relevant and up-to-date information to stakeholders. Product development and technical assistance – help stakeholders to conceptualise a niche in the industry.

Achievements Provides a forum for those interested in developing, improving and promoting the Caribbean tourism product. Advertises the Caribbean as one destination. Sponsor regular trade shows in Europe and USA. Maintains up-to-date websites in different languages for travelers to access information on the Caribbean

Challenges Maintaining the Caribbean’s competitiveness in the global market place. Making governments more aware of the need to support the industry. Ensuring that small territories benefit from the advertising of a Caribbean brand. Changing the public’s perception of tourism so that it is more acceptable to as an important economic sector and a more friendly environment for tourism to develop.

The End