CARICOM: CHANGE TEAM FINDS PASSION FOR INTEGRATION

Georgetown, September 17- The need to determine and promote a Caribbean identity, food security, free movement and ease of travel, have been among the recurring themes during vibrant consultations currently being conducted in order to shape the Community’s five-year (2014-2018) strategic plan.

Consultations by the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) Change Facilitation team are ongoing, and so far have been held in Barbados, Guyana, Antigua and Barbuda, Montserrat, Grenada and Saint Lucia.

The team engaged a wide range of stakeholders including Heads of Government and their cabinets, members of opposition parties, representatives of civil society and youth, public officers and the private sector, and found a consistent passion for regionalism, even in the face of criticisms of the pace of the integration movement. In fact, stakeholders urged Heads of Government to make hard decisions, through the planning process, that would secure the future of CARICOM.

According to the team, the people of the Region are clear about what they want from the Community.

Strong, effective participatory and inclusive governance arrangements, maximizing areas for collaboration and human resource development focusing on the needs of youth were among other areas that saw common concern.

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