Final Communique from the Africa-CARICOM Summit
On September 7, 2021, the Heads of State and Government of Members of the African Union and the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) met virtually at a historic summit hosted by His Excellency Uhuru Kenyatta, President of the Republic of Kenya. Read the communique here.
The UWI TradeLab law students produce Original Jurisdiction Case Digest for the CCJ
Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago (September 10, 2021). The Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ) was one of the 2021 beneficiaries of the third iteration of The University of the West Indies (UWI) TradeLab Clinic. For this initiative, third-year law students from the Cave Hill Campus who participated in the Clinic produced thirty-four (34) summaries of the decisions of the Court issued in the Original Jurisdiction between 2008 and 2020. These summaries were prepared by Ms Chelsea Lawrence, Ms Mya Brathwaite, Mr James Morris and Ms Régine Mondesir under the supervision of The UWI Trade Lab Directors, Dr Jan Yves Remy and Dr Ronnie Yearwood, and international trade law practitioner Mr Claude Chase, who acted as a mentor. This collaboration was conceptualised Dr Jan Yves Remy and is intended to deepen the understanding of the Court’s role in interpreting and applying the Revised Treaty of Chaguaramas and deciding on issues regarding freedom of movement, trade, services, and money in the CARICOM region. In the formal handing-over ceremony of the Digest, The Hon Mr Justice Adrian Saunders, President of the CCJ, lamented the fact that regional citizens have not been making greater use of the rights they enjoy under the Treaty. As such, he commended the project, noting that “any initiative that highlights how the rights are to be enjoyed; that places a spotlight on the jurisprudence that has been developed in this area; and that makes this jurisprudence more easily accessible to the people and States of the Community, does a tremendous service to the region.” He further added that, “this digest is more than just concise summaries of the cases. It includes aids that give significant added value for researchers quite apart from providing a readily accessible snapshot of the decisions for the public at large.” In her remarks ahead of the students’ presentation, Dr Remy expressed the hope that the project “…will achieve, in some small measure, a greater implementation of this hope of Caribbean integration.” Speaking to the practical utility of the case digest, Dr Yearwood noted that, “…these types of summaries will allow practitioners and even [academicians] to be able to digest and reach into cases in a quicker way.” The case digest is available via: https://ccj.org/the-digest-of-original-jurisdiction-cases/.
SRC and CDB co-host Inaugural Distinguished Owen Seymour Arthur Memorial Lecture
BRIDGETOWN, Barbados – September 9, 2021 – Caribbean countries must adopt a resilience model of development if the region is to achieve the Rt. Hon Prof. Owen Seymour Arthur’s vision of sustained development and escape the chasm of cyclical underdevelopment. This was one of several important policy prescriptions offered by President of the Caribbean Development Bank (CDB), Dr. H. Gene Leon, while delivering the inaugural Distinguished Owen Seymour Arthur Memorial Lecture on Wednesday, September 8. The lecture, co-hosted by the Shridath Ramphal Centre for International Trade Law, Policy and Services (The SRC) of The University of the West Indies, Cave Hill (The UWI) and the CDB, was broadcast live on UWITV. Slated to be an annual event, the lecture series honours the legacy of the late economist and statesman, Prof. Arthur, who passed away on July 27, 2020 at the age of 70. In the forty-minute lecture entitled “Re-designing Economic Growth Strategies”, Dr. Leon paid tribute to Prof. Arthur’s sterling legacy as an economic visionary, and proffered strategies for economic growth and development. Calling on CARICOM governments to accelerate the completion of the CARICOM Single Market and Economy (CSME) agenda, the CDB President identified trade facilitation and knowledge governance as pivotal for crafting a “new paradigm for our Region”. “Trade integration in the region,” he argued, “remains a hybrid and incomplete state fluctuating between notions of a customs union and common market”. He further attributed the high costs of trade in the region to the lack of harmonized rules, systemic deficiencies in the operation of border services, lack of interconnected regulatory authorities and aging port infrastructure. Under knowledge governance and innovation, Dr. Leon proposed augmenting the region’s support institutions and readiness programmes to capitalize on “framework-conditions” on intellectual property rights, including reforming the existing IP legislative frameworks, streamlining the facilitation arrangements between copyright collecting societies, pursuing communal trademarks, and adapting competition policy to play a “complementary role to the IP and trade rule provisions in the region’s knowledge governance framework”. In her welcome remarks, SRC Director, Dr. Jan Yves Remy, reflected fondly on the sterling contribution of the late trade economist who she described as a “frequent visitor, devoted mentor, exacting taskmaster, unrelenting debater, and dear friend to the SRC”. She noted that “Owen Arthur’s embrace of trade liberalization and the CARICOM Single Market and Economy as pathways for Caribbean development, would always distinguish him for singular focus at the SRC”, an institution devoted to international trade training, research and outreach. Pro-Vice Chancellor and Principal of The UWI Cave Hill Campus, Prof. Clive Landis, lauded Prof. Arthur’s dedication to the Cave Hill Campus, noting it was here that the late economist had received his undergraduate training in economics, before proceeding to The UWI’s Mona Campus to pursue advanced studies in the subject. Prof. Landis noted that as Prime Minister, Prof. Arthur had gifted The UWI land at the Lazaretto and that even after his retirement, the former Prime Minister was always willing to share his vast knowledge with UWI students and faculty alike. Delivering remarks at the evening’s event were also Minister in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade, Senator Dr. the Hon. Jerome Walcott, Pro-Vice Chancellor of The UWI Prof. Sir Hilary Beckles, and Mrs. Julie Arthur, widow of the late Prof. Arthur. The Master of Ceremonies for the evening was Prof. Winston Moore, Deputy Principal of The UWI Cave Hill. Last evening’s event is the latest in a series of initiatives of The UWI to honour the late Prof. Arthur, who was Barbados’ longest serving Prime Minister, holding that office from 1994 to 2008. Upon his retirement from political life, The UWI appointed the former economist by training a Professor of Practice: Economics of Development in 2018. In July 2021, the building formerly known as the CARICOM Research Building was renamed in his honour. A book entitled “The Essential Owen: Speeches & Statements of Prof. The Rt. Hon Owen S. Arthur” was recently published with funding from the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) and also features economic and political commentaries by Sir Trevor Carmichael, QC. and Prof. C. Justin Robinson. – END –
SRC LTC – Food For Thought – A Roundtable Discussion on Food Security in CARICOM
The SRC and the Barbados Chambers of Commerce and Industry are pleased to invite you to our upcoming Lunchtime Chat entitled “Food for Thought: A Roundtable Discussion on Food Security in CARICOM” on Wednesday, September 15th, 2021 at 12:30 p.m. AST. The featured speakers are Dr. Lystra Fletcher-Paul, Mr. Sandiford R. Edwards and Mr. James Paul, the event will be moderated by Ms. Chelcee Brathwaite. We look forward to having you there. This is the zoom link for registration: https://zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_e5ywQdCdTSO9SZMxbWV6uw
Caribbean-Africa Webinar Series Rapporteur’s Note
The SRC is pleased to share our Caribbean-Africa Webinar Series Rapporteur’s Note. It is the first output from the informative series we cohosted with Tralac, Trapca and AfronomicsLaw over a period of five weeks in June and July 2021. The rapporteur’s note, which was authored by the series’ moderators Ms. Kholofelo Kugler (Co-Founder, Trade Policy Exchange) and our own SRC Director Dr. Jan Yves Remy, provides a background to the series and the major conclusions from each of the webinars. The series was formally opened with a Keynote address by H.E. Wamkele Mene, Secretary-General of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA). We are particularly happy to release this Rapporteur’s Note to coincide with the hosting of the Africa-CARICOM Summit on September 7, 2021 and as our contribution to the wider discourse on deepening Africa-Caribbean relations. The video recordings from each of the informative webinars may be found on our SRC Youtube page. Please see below the link to the full Rapporteur’s Note:
Call for Consultancy
Coaches in Resource Efficiency & Circular Production (RECP) Coaching Program for MSMEs under the Green to Compete Hub- Caribbean Background The International Trade Centre (ITC) is a joint agency of the United Nations and the World Trade Organization supporting the internationalization of micro, small, and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs). The GreenToCompete Hubs activate MSMEs to go and grow green. They provide the necessary tools and networks for MSMEs to implement green practices and access international markets and green finance. The GreenToCompete Hubs are implemented in Ghana, Kenya, Laos, Nepal, Peru, and Vietnam. The GreenToCompete Hub Programme has recently launched its Regional Hub in the Caribbean in partnership and hosted by Caribbean Export Development Agency. This project will initially target Barbados, Saint Lucia, and Guyana MSMEs before expanding to the entire region. Call for applications The first coaching program for MSMEs offered by the GreenToCompete Hub – Caribbean will focus on enhancing resource efficiency and circular production practices. For the coaching program’s implementation, the GreenToCompete Hub seeks around three local experts based in each of the three target countries: Barbados, Saint Lucia, and Guyana to each coach around 3-5 MSMEs in a period of 4 months. Criteria: Applicants have at least three years of work experience in terms of consulting MSMEs: on resource efficiency and circular production related issues in either one of the three target countries: Barbados, Saint Lucia, and Guyana in the tourism, services, light manufacturing, and agri-food sectors In addition, applicants shall hold at least a master’s degree in engineering, economics, business, or any other relevant area and be fluent in English. Application Process and Timelines If you fit the profile, please submit your application by no later than September 1st, 2021, 11.59 pm Barbados time, via: https://survey.alchemer.com/s3/5411750/GreenToCompete-Hub-Caribbean-RECP-Component-call-for-application-ToT In addition, all pre-selected applicants need to participate in the 2-week virtual training of trainers by ITC on its resource efficiency and circular production (RECP) approach to be considered for the open coach positions. Once the online application closes, applicants who have been pre-selected will be notified by September 3, 2021 and receive the virtual training login link and instructions. Virtual training of trainers The virtual training of trainers on the RECP approach provided by ITC has space for 30 pre-selected applicants. At the end of the ITC virtual training of trainers, around nine experts will be selected out of the 30 applicants to become ITC coaches to deliver our RECP coaching program to MSMEs from Barbados, Saint-Lucia, and Guyana. The training of trainers is implemented as a blended approach of e-learning and a series of virtual open classrooms sessions delivered by ITC staff within two weeks, September 6– September 13, 2021. The training will be free of charge for the selected applicants and hosted on the ITC SME Trade Academy. Upon completion of the training, participants will be able to implement the ITC RECP coaching program for their client MSMEs. Sensitization Webinar All interested applicants are invited to attend the 2-hour sensitization webinar on the benefits of implementing resource efficiency and circular production practices and the implementation of the coaching program taking place on Friday, September 3, 2021. More details to follow. For more information, please contact: Majda Grine, Project Manager of the GreenToCompete Hub Caribbean: mgrine@intracen.org
VIDEO RECORDING – Private Sector Investment for SDG Achievement Webinar
Thank you for all those who attended the Webinar on Facilitating Private Sector Investment for SDG Achievement in Caribbean SIDS held Thursday, August 5, 2021. Please see the video recording below:
VIDEO RECORDING – Inaugural Distinguished Owen S. Arthur Memorial Lecture
On Wednesday, September 8, the SRC and Caribbean Development Bank (CDB) co-hosted the Inaugural Distinguished Owen S. Arthur Memorial Lecture in honour of the late Rt. Hon. Professor Owen Seymour Arthur, former Prime Minister of Barbados. We were pleased to have as our distinguished guest speaker Dr. H. Gene Leon, President of the Caribbean Development Bank (CDB) who presented on the topic “Re-Designing Economic Growth Strategies”. The lecture was broadcast live on UWITV and the video recording may be accessed here.
The EU’s Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism and CARICOM
Jan Yves Remy and Kaycia Ellis-Bourne$*On 14 July 2021, the European Union (EU) released its long-awaited proposal for a Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM) which will serve as the EU bloc’s first carbon import levy. As anticipated, the proposed CBAM has attracted attention among international observers, even if it has not been widely reported in Caribbean circles…
Facilitating Private Sector Investment for SDG Achievement in Caribbean SIDS
Matthew Wilson$*The following is an adapted article from talking points delivered by esteemed panelist Mr. Matthew Wilson at the August 5, 2021 Shridath Ramphal Centre event on ‘Facilitating private sector investment for SDG achievement in Caribbean SIDs’…