(13 September 2011) The Fifteenth meeting of the Monitoring Committee of the Caribbean Development and Cooperation Committee (CDCC) concluded on Monday 12 September 2011 in Port of Spain, with a call for greater coordination of the different players in development to promote dialogue and cooperation between the Caribbean and Latin America.
The meeting was convened by the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC) and discussed the progress made on the implementation of the 2010-2011 programme of work of the Subregional Headquarters for the Caribbean. Over the course of the biennium, ECLAC has conducted analyses on the developmental challenges faced by small states, the role and impact of foreign direct investment in the Caribbean, and has made recommendations to policy makers for sustainable growth, regional trade and integration.
Executive Secretary of ECLAC, Alicia Bárcena noted that the global economic crisis is still far from over, as the possibility of a debt crisis looms in the horizon in several developed economies of Europe, North America and Asia. "The spread of such a crisis could affect the small open economies of the Caribbean which are closely intertwined with those of the developed world," she said. In her proposal for a medium term development agenda, Ms. Bárcena outlined a need for macroeconomic policies focusing on inclusive development and for improving the region's position in the international economy through diversification.
At the meeting, Ms. Bárcena announced that a new Director of the Subregional Headquarters had been appointed, Ms. Diane Quarless, who is the former Chief of the Small Islands Developing States Unit in the Department of Economic and Social Affairs of the United Nations.
In keeping with the thrust by ECLAC to forge closer ties between countries of Latin America and those of the Caribbean, the Executive Secretary held bi-lateral discussions with representatives of several Caribbean countries.
Prior to the meeting, on Sunday 11 September 2011, Ms. Bárcena met with the newly appointed Secretary General of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM), Mr. Irwin LaRocque. Ms. Bárcena met with Prime Minister Bruce Golding of Jamaica, and Mr. Tilman Thomas, Prime Minister of Grenada, who is concluding his term as Chair of the CDCC.
She also held discussions with the Minister of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade of Barbados, Senator Maxine McClean, and Mr. Winston G. Lackin, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Suriname, and the Governor of the Central Bank of Suriname, Gillmore Hoefdraad.
The presentations and other meeting documents are available on the ECLAC Website: www.eclacpos.org
For more information, contact ECLAC Subregional Headquarters for the Caribbean:
Tel: (868) 224-8000; Fax: (868) 623-8485; E-mail: registry@eclacpos.org;
