PORT-OF-SPAIN, Trinidad
and Tobago
17-18 AUGUST 1995
DECLARATION OF
PRINCIPLES ON
TOURISM, TRADE AND TRANSPORTATION
WE,
THE HEADS OF STATE, AND GOVERNMENT AND REPRESENTATIVES OF THE STATES,
COUNTRIES AND TERRITORIES PARTICIPATING IN THIS INAUGURAL SUMMIT OF
THE ASSOCIATION OF CARIBBEAN STATES IN PORT-OF-SPAIN, TRINIDAD AND
TOBAGO ON 17-18 AUGUST 1995, EXPRESS SATISFACTION AT THE ENTRY INTO
FORCE OF THE CONVENTION ESTABLISHING THE ASSOCIATION OF CARIBBEAN
STATES. WE AGREE TO ISSUE THE FOLLOWING DECLARATION OF PRINCIPLES
ON TOURISM, TRADE AND TRANSPORTATION:
1. WE ARE FIRMLY COMMITTED
TO INITIATING A NEW ERA IN THE CARIBBEAN REGION CHARACTERISED BY
THE STRENGTHENING OF INTEGRATION, CONCERTED ACTION AND CONSULTATION
IN ORDER TO ENSURE GREATER CULTURAL, ECONOMIC, POLITICAL, SCIENTIFIC,
SOCIAL AND TECHNOLOGICAL COOPERATION AMONG OUR PEOPLES, GOVERNMENTS
AND COUNTRIES;
2. WE COMMIT OUR STATES,
COUNTRIES AND TERRITORIES TO PURSUING THE PROMOTION OF THIS PROCESS
IN A CLIMATE OF RESPECT FOR THE SOVEREIGNTY AND TERRITORIAL INTEGRITY
OF OUR STATES, THE RIGHT OF OUR PEOPLES TO SELF-DETERMINATION, THE
RULE OF LAW, THE ADHERENCE TO DEMOCRATIC PRINCIPLES, THE OBSERVANCE
OF HUMAN RIGHTS AND THE PEACEFUL RESOLUTION OF DISPUTES
3. WE REAFFIRM OUR
COMMITMENT TO THE COMMON OBJECTIVES WITHIN THE HEMISPHERIC SYSTEMS
AND THAT OF THE UNITED NATIONS. WE ARE CONVINCED THAT OUR EFFORTS
WITHIN THE ASSOCIATION OF CARIBBEAN STATES WILL CREATE A MORE COMPETITIVE
AND VIABLE ECONOMIC SPACE, STRENGTHEN OUR CAPACITY TO IMPLEMENT
OUR COMMITMENTS IN OTHER DOMAINS AND ADVANCE THE GENERAL DEVELOPMENT
AND PROSPERITY OF OUR PEOPLES;
4. WE REITERATE THAT
COOPERATION AMONG THE STATES, COUNTRIES AND TERRITORIES OF THE ASSOCIATION
OF CARIBBEAN STATES PROVIDES AN IDEAL MECHANISM AND AFFORDS A UNIQUE
FOR RESPONDING TO THE CHALLENGES AND OPPORTUNITIES PRESENTED BY
THE GLOBALISATION OF THE WORLD ECONOMY, INCREASED TRADE LIBERALISATION
AND COMPETITION FOR INVESTMENT AND MARKETS;
5. WE ARE FULLY COGNISANT
THAT THE SHARED HISTORICAL AND CULTURAL HERITAGE OF THE STATES,
COUNTRIES AND TERRITORIES OF OUR ASSOCIATION PROVIDES A SOLID BASIS
FOR DEVELOPING OUR EFFORTS AT COOPERATION AND CONCERTED ACTION,
PARTICULARLY IN THE AREAS OF TOURISM, TRADE AND TRANSPORTATION,
AS WELL AS FOR ENRICHING OUR FUTURE TO THE BENEFIT OF ALL OUR PEOPLES;
6. CONSCIOUS THAT THE
PRIME OBJECTIVE OF OUR EFFORTS MUST BE AIMED AT IMPROVING THE STANDARD
OF LIVING OF OUR PEOPLE AND PARTICULARLY, AT EFFECTIVELY COMBATING
THE CRITICAL STATE OF POVERTY IN WHICH A LARGE PART OF THEM EXIST,
WE COMMIT OURSELVES TO PROMOTE THE SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT OF OUR
REGION, AS A VIABLE STRATEGY AIMED AT IMPROVING THESE CONDITIONS;
7. WE CONSIDER THAT
IN THE CURRENT CONDITIONS, TOURISM, TRADE AND TRANSPORTATION CONSTITUTE`THREE
CRITICAL SECTORS WHICH SHOULD BE ACCORDED PRIORITY IN OUR CONCERTED
ACTIONS TO PROMOTE COOPERATION THUS ADVANCING THE DEVELOPMENT OF
OUR PEOPLES AND LAYING THE FOUNDATION FOR PROGRESS IN OTHER AREAS
OF INTEREST TO THE MEMBERS OF THE ASSOCIATION;
8. CONVINCED THAT THE
NATURAL ENDOWMENT AND CULTURAL DIVERSITY AND HERITAGE OF THE CARIBBEAN
MAKE IT AN ATTRACTIVE TOURIST DESTINATION AND THAT THE TOURISM SECTOR
IS VITAL TO THE ECONOMIES OF OUR STATES, COUNTRIES AND TERRITORIES,
WE COMMIT OURSELVES TO UNITE EFFORTS AND ACTIONS AIMED AT INCREASING
THE TOURIST FLOW TO AND WITHIN THE CARIBBEAN, AT IMPROVING TOURISM
INFRASTRUCTURE AND PRESERVING THE ENVIRONMENT;
9. WE REAFFIRM OUR
COMMITMENT TO THE PRINCIPLES ENSHRINED IN THE AGREEMENT ESTABLISHING
THE WORLD TRADE ORGANISATION AS A BASIS FOR DEVELOPING FREE TRADE
AMONG ALL NATIONS. WE RECOGNISE THE VITAL CONTRIBUTION WHICH INCREASED
TRADE CAN MAKE TO THE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT OF OUR STATES, COUNTRIES
AND TERRITORIES AND ARE THEREFORE OPPOSED TO ALL POLICIES, MEASURES
AND ACTIONS WHICH ARE INIMICAL TO THESE PRINCIPLES;
10. WE ARE KEENLY AWARE
THAT THE DEVELOPMENT OF OUR TOURISM INDUSTRY AS WELL AS OUR TRADE
IN GOODS AND OTHER SERVICES REQUIRE THE DEVELOPMENT OF EFFICIENT
AND VIABLE AIR, SEA AND LAND TRANSPORT SYSTEMS. IN THIS REGARD,
WE COMMIT OURSELVES TO TAKING CONCERTED AND EXPEDITIOUS ACTION;
COGNISANT OF THE SIGNIFICANT
DIFFERENCES IN LEVELS OF DEVELOPMENT, SIZE AND POPULATION AMONG OUR
STATES, COUNTRIES AND TERRITORIES, WE WILL ACCORDINGLY SEEK MEANS
TO FOSTER DEVELOPMENT AND PROVIDE OPPORTUNITIES TO FACILITATE THE
PARTICIPATION OF ALL STATES, COUNTRIES AND TERRITORIES IN THE INTEGRATION
OF THE CARIBBEAN;
12. WE REAFFIRM THE
IMPORTANCE ATTACHED TO THE CARIBBEAN SEA, THE ROLE IT HAS PLAYED
IN OUR HISTORY AND THE DEVELOPMENT OF TOURISM, TRADE AND TRANSPORT
AS WELL AS ITS POTENTIAL FOR CONTRIBUTING TO THE DEVELOPMENT OF
OUR PEOPLES AND STATES, COUNTRIES AND TERRITORIES. WE ARE THEREFORE
DETERMINED TO ENSURE ITS PROTECTION AND CONSERVATION, ON AN ENVIRONMENTALLY
SOUND AND SUSTAINABLE BASIS, AS THE COMMON PATRIMONY OF ALL THE
PEOPLES OF THE CARIBBEAN;
13. WE RECOGNISE THAT
THE PRODUCTION AND CONSUMPTION OF ILLEGAL DRUGS, AS WELL AS NARCO-TRAFFICKING
IN ALL ITS ASPECTS POSE A SERIOUS THREAT TO TOURISM, TRADE AND TRANSPORTATION.
INDEED, IT ENDANGERS THE SOVEREIGNITY AND SECURITY OF EACH STATE.
IN LIGHT OF THIS, WE PLEDGE TO STRENGTHEN COOPERATION WITHIN THE
REGION TO COMBAT THE DRUG MENACE WHICH SEEKS CONSTANTLY TO UNDERMINE
GOOD ORDER AND SOCIAL STABILITY.
14. WE RECOGNISE THAT
THERE IS SIGNIFICANT SCOPE FOR GROWTH OF TOURISM, TRADE AND TRANSPORTATION
AS A MEANS OF ADVANCING DEVELOPMENT AND ECONOMIC INTEGRATION WITHIN
THE ACS REGION. WE RECOGNISE ALSO THAT THE FULL REALISATION OF THIS
POTENTIAL IS CRITICALLY DEPENDENT ON OUR PUBLIC AND PRIVATE SECTORS
BEING ABLE TO COOPERATE TO ADDRESS THE CHATTT4`NGES AND CONSTRAINTS
AS WELL AS TO EXPLOIT THE SYNERGY IN THE THREE AREAS.
TO ADVANCE THIS PROCESS,
WE AGREE TO ADOPT AND IMPLEMENT THE FOLLOWING PLAN OF ACTION:
PLAN
OF ACTION
TOURISM
We affirm that the tourism
industry constitutes the major vehicle of development for many of
the States, Countries and Territories of the ACS and are aware that
it is not only the single economic activity common to all, but also
a priority economic sector for all our membership.
Keenly aware that tourism
is a strategic industry which is operating in a highly competitive
environment, we perceive the need for a regional tourism strategy
that draws strength from co-operation without sacrificing the interest
of individual States, Countries and Territories-or the appeal of individual
national tourism products. We are cognizant that our region has considerable
advantages in tourism since we offer a product which is like the world
in microcosm. Presented as a single tourism product, the ACS destination
has the advantages of both diversity and economies of scale.
We recognise that tourism
is an industry which is highly dependent on the environment and that
the quality, competitiveness and sustainability of this sector are
inextricably linked to the conservation of the Caribbean's human,
natural and man-made environment.
We are conscious of the
need to give prominence to tourism in the national planning process
and to strengthen public sector/private sector co-operation in managing
the tourism sector. We further recognize the industry's potential
to create linkages with other economic sectors and to stimulate higher
levels of economic growth and development in our States, Countries
and Territories.
We therefore agree to:
With
respect to Tourism Planning
(i) Ensure that tourism
integrated into our planning process is fully national;
(ii) strengthen the
role of regional and national organizations in the ACS States, Countries
and Territories and to promote the incorporation of its members
in the Caribbean Tourism Organisation (CTO), with the purpose of
co-ordinating efforts in the development of tourism;
(iii) promote co-operation
among all public and private sector tourism entities within the
ACS Member States, Countries and Territories with a view to maintaining
the Caribbean region as the preferred tourism destination.
With
respect to Environmental Sustainability
(iv) Require the execution
of appropriate levels of environmental impact assessment as a precondition
of all tourism development projects;
(v) incorporate in
our tourism policies measures that address issues of environmental
sensitivity and national cultural heritage through educational and
developmental programmed, and adopt and enforce appropriate legislation
to encourage responsible practices in respect thereof;
(vi) consider the adoption
of the Charter of Margarita approved at the Fifth CTO Ecotourism
conference held in Margarita in June 1995, taking into account national
legislation;
(vii) declare the Caribbean
a "green area" and invite the appropriate regional and
international agencies to co-operate with us to develop and implement
programmed to achieve this objective.
With
respect to Visitors' safety
(viii) Adopt appropriate
measures to provide for the safety of visitors with the objective
of guaranteeing the development and growth of tourism;
(ix) develop crisis
management and damage control strategies in the event of major natural
disasters;
(x) strongly deplore
the inappropriate use of Travel Advisories by non-ACS States with
the purpose of reducing tourism competitiveness in ACS States, Countries,
and Territories and to develop mechanisms by which Governments can
monitor and respond to such Travel Advisories.
With
respect to Regional Marketing
(xi) Promote the region
as a single destination with unique national products and.encourage
the free flow of tourists to and within all ACS States, Countries
and Territories. To this end, we shall establish, based on the successful
public/private sector Caribbean Coalition on Tourism Marketing Programme
for North America, broad-based regional marketing programmed and
joint representation in the major markets, including the intra Caribbean
market, on a sustainable basis and develop, not later than the end
of 1995, a financing arrangement to sustain this initiative. In
order to facilitate the implementation of such Programmes, we will
review and modify, as necessary, the structure of the Caribbean
Coalition on Tourism.
With
respect to Profitability
(xii) Promote tourism
industry performance surveys for the ACS region on an ongoing basis
and to seek financing from the public and private sectors to this
end;
(xiii) develop appropriate
policies to retain and attract investment and to improve the efficiency
and competitiveness of the tourism sector of the region.
With
respect to Human Resources
(xiv) Accept the offer
of the Government of Mexico to establish a Regional Programme for
education, training and research in sustainable tourism, based at
the Universidad de Quintana Roo (Mexico), aimed at widening efforts
to develop human resources that will increase the competitiveness
and quality of tourist services in the Caribbean region;
(xv) create within
the next three months a Caribbean Tourism Education and Training
Council, with the following terms of reference:
(a) to examine the
manpower needs of the region and review the number and type of
public and private sector institutions in the ACS region which
are currently involved in tourism training;
(b) to ascertain
what certification in tourism is available at all tourism training
institutions throughout the ACS region and the extent to which
they are acceptable and transferable between the various States,
Countries and Territories and to create a directory of ACS wide
travel and tourism institutions end professionals;
(c) to consider the
adoption of the recommendations of the University of West Indies
report on tertiary education in tourism, with respect to expansion
and rationalization o f institutions , transferability of credits,
post graduate training in the region, language training and certification
and the provision of financial support required for implementation;
(d) to find a co-ordination
mechanism between the institutions of higher education to deal
with setting and monitoring of educational standards and levels
of certification, within the colleges and universities in the
region;
(e) to establish
job performance standards leading to the certification of knowledge
and skills of professionals, which is recognized throughout the
region and which will facilitate the free movement of tourism
professionals, in accordance with the legislation currently in
force in each country;
(f) to examine the
offer from the Government of Mexico with a view to ensuring that
it complements the existing programmer.
With
respect to Financing
(xvi) Establish a task
force in order to prepare a detailed draft proposal for a Caribbean
Regional Tourism Development Fund which shall be submitted to the
next meeting of the ACS Council of Ministers. It would include,
if necessary, the Fund's legal, administrative and management structure,
as well as its relations with the Multilateral Financial Institutions.
No ACS State, Country or Territory shall be excluded for social
or political reasons from any of the benefits of the Fund.
TRADE
We are convinced that
greater trade and investment links among our States, Countries and
Territories will provide new markets and create opportunities to improve
our competitiveness globally.
We recognize that progress
in trade facilitation and liberalization will play a key role in enhancing
our economic space but will require harmonization of the rules and
disciplines of trade, services and investment in our region.
We recognize however
the complexities of liberalizing trade and harmonizing rules among
States, Countries and Territories as diverse as those of the ACS region.
We agree to instruct
the Secretariat of the Association of the Caribbean States to:
With
respect to Trade Liberalization
Promote measures for
the economic integration including trade liberalization, investments,
transportation and other related areas among the ACS Members;
(ii) assist member
countries, in collaboration with other relevant regional organizations,
in the ongoing process of negotiations for trade liberalization
and integration at the regional, hemispheric and global levels;
(iii) collect and disseminate
among the members of the ACS information regarding the Marrakesh
Agreement Establishing the World Trade Organization (WTO) on its
implementation in each ACS State with the aim of assisting the process
of regional integration.
With
respect to Trade and Investment Promotion and Facilitation
(iv) Promote and facilitate
the active participation of the regional business community in trade
and investment events, especially those that take place within the
region;
(v) facilitate meetings
of the national and regional public and private sectors to discuss
and resolve, in practical terms, methods of sourcing within the
region as many goods and services as possible for the hotels, cruiselines
and other tourism facilities;
(vi) devise schemes
to encourage tourism enterprises, to purchase increased levels of
regional goods and services to be consumed by visitors;
design and implement
a mechanism for the exchange of information on trade and investment
patterns and opportunities, establish or improve among the various
information systems and promote their use;
(viii) examine the
possibilities of establishing a reciprocal payment and credit system
among the ACS countries, taking into account existing systems, such
as ALADI and the Central American Common Market.
With
respect to Inter-Institutional Cooperation
(ix) Seek active participation
in the activities of the group of "Secretariats of Regional
and Subregional Integration and Cooperation Organisations"
regarding the efforts toward harmonization of trade rules and regulations.
With
respect to Follow-up and Implementation of the Action Plan
(x) We charge the Trade
and External Economic Relations Committee of the ACS with following
up and implementing the Trade Action Plan.
TRANSPORTATION
We recognize the importance
of the principles of easy access and equal opportunity to affordable
air and maritime transportation, and that they are indispensable for
the economic integration among our States, Countries and Territories.
The advancement of these principles can be greatly assisted by the
liberalization and facilitation of trade, the cost effective and easy
movement of goods, services and people and the stimulation and promotion
of investment among our States, Countries and Territories.
We also recognize that
the development of a safe, efficient and effective transport system
is an indispensable element in the facilitation of trade among ACS
States, Countries and Territories as well as the movement of people
throughout ACS region thus transcending the separateness of the past
as well as for ensuring extraregional links and multi-destination
possibilities in the framework of the actual agreements and relations
among ACS States, Countries and Territories.
We are aware that there
are myriad problems to be overcome in order to develop an effective
transportation system and that given our resource constraints, services
and facilities will have to be enhanced incrementally and through
a variety of means.
We are conscious that
the ultimate aim is to provide a sustainable, efficient, profitable,
readily differentiated and significantly higher quality service to
the travelling and cargo shipping communities at reasonable tariffs.
We therefore agree
to:
With
respect to shipping Services
(i) Combine efforts
of our public and private sectors to determine and meet the requirements
for, and enhance the possibilities of, establishing Non-Vessel Operating
Common Carriers (NVOCCs). In this regard, we will jointly examine
the feasibility of pursuing the recommendation made in the CARICOM-Group
of Three (G3) Transport Study, for the establishment of a Joint
Government/Private Sector NVOCC on an ACS-wide basis;
(ii) discuss with the
shipping lines, the nature of the inducement which would be required
to provide service, from hub ports to secondary ports and to take
the agreed measures which fall to the responsibility of the public
sector;
(iii) promote the development
of inter-modal transportation in the region which will bring new
possibilities for maritime investments to make this service more
efficient and competitive;
(iv) encourage the
shipping lines to work together to expand the range of on-carriage
arrangements among themselves and to make these more widely known
to potential shippers;
(v) examine novel approaches
to providing regular intra ACS commercial services, including the
Venezuelan initiative of using a navy ship to transport commercial
cargo to the small ports of the Eastern Caribbean.
With
respect to the Provision of Port Services
(vi) Encourage and
assist our Port Authorities and Worker Organizations to address
the issue of port costs and efficiency through, inter alia, modernizing
payments and reward systems, training and redeployment of labour
and the reduction of unnecessary bureaucratic requirements;
(vii) examine the future
scope and role of the public and private sector in the provision
of port services, with a view to ensuring the adoption of the most
efficient and cost effective arrangements;
(viii) assist our port
authorities to cooperate and collaborate more actively among themselves
in the existing institutional arrangements such as the Inter-American
Ports and Harbours Conference (IAPH), the Port Management Association
of Eastern Caribbean States (PMAECS), the Central American Maritime
Transport Commission (COCATRAM), the Caribbean Shipping Association
(CSA) and the Permanent Technical Committee on Ports of the Organisation
of American States (OAS). As a priority, we urge them to focus attention
on:
(a) the simplification
and streamlining of documentation requirements in our various
ports to facilitate the movement of goods, services and people
by sea, with specific reference to the provisions of the Convention
on the Facilitation of International Maritime Traffic 1965, as
amended;
(b) the identification
of areas of cooperation to reduce costs and improve efficiency,
particularly in minimizing the time and costs to shippers and
ship operators. In this context, we encourage them to explore
the possibilities of joint ventures and other forms of economic
association in areas such as training, port facilities development
and utilization;
(c) the establishment
of an appropriate Electronic Data Inter-Change (EDI) information
system to link ports, shippers and shipping lines in the ACS region.
With
respect to Air Transportation
(ix) Examine the regulatory
and operational framework which exists within the ACS States, Countries
and Territories including the nature and content of our bilateral
air transport agreements, our obligations to our air carriers and
the overall attitude of ACS States, Countries and Territories on
contemporary significant air transport policy matters, as well as
the need for adequate safeguards and safety nets for the protection
of the ACS members as developing States, Countries and Territories;
(x) evaluate the potential
air access benefits which could arise from the negotiation of certain
air services agreements on a group basis using the Community of
Interest Principle of International Civil Aviation Organisation
(ICAO);
where feasible, give
favourable consideration to the use of the Community of Interest
Principle as a means of improving both intra and extra regional
air access arrangements;
(xii) sensitise the
authorities and management of airports to the economic benefits
and convenience of facilitation by implementing the standards and
recommended practices of Annex 9 of the Chicago Convention and other
initiatives and to urge them to become more pro-active in this area;
(xiii) examine the
scope for the removal of and take Action where possible to eliminate
or simplify visa requirements for intra-regional travel by residents
of ACS States, Countries and Territories;
(xiv) encourage our
aeronautical authorities to join and collaborate actively among
themselves in the existing institutions such as the Latin American
Civil Aviation Commission (LACAC);
(xv) encourage ACS
airlines to develop regular contacts, in order to build on initiatives
already in train to increase cooperation and enhance their competitiveness
and viability and call on them to work towards:
(a) continuous improvements
in the integration of intra-ACS airline schedules and route systems;
(b) facilitating
the provision of, and equal access to, a unified reservation system
to the market place. In this context, we suggest that the ACS
airlines should as a priority, invite competitive tenders from
the Computerised Reservation Systems (CRS) and Distribution Systems
to host the schedules of ACS airlines as one unit using state
of the art technology;
(c) adopting a joint
approach for the acquisition of a common Yield Management Programme;
(d) exploring the
possibilities of using Latin Pass or any other frequent flyer
programme, as a vehicle for the full exploitation of a broad scope
of functional cooperation programmed for ACS airlines;
(e) exploring the
possibilities for fleet rationalization and joint aircraft acquisition
and joint approaches to financial sources for all ACS States,
Countries and Territories;
(f) enhancing cost
effectiveness by undertaking negotiations in such areas as Engineering
and Maintenance Management Information Systems (EMMIS); insurance
placement; duty free programmer; crew hotel accommodation; and
general management information systems;
(xvi) discuss with
airlines, the nature of the inducement . which would be required
to provide service from hub airports to secondary airports and take
the agreed measures which fall to the responsibility of the public
sector.
With
respect to the Safety of Air and Sea Craft and related Port Facilities
(xvii) Identify the
critical international conventions relating to ships and shipping
operations and to implement these conventions as early as possible
within an agreed harmonized framework, and take all other appropriate
steps, in conjunction with established regional and international
programmed, to promote maritime safety and the protection of the
marine environment of ACS States, Countries and Territories from
vessel sourced pollution;
(xviii) examine the
feasibility of broadening participation in the Draft Caribbean Agreement
on Port State Control to include all ACS States, Countries and Territories;
(xix) give major attention
to the issue of safety. In this context, we stress the necessity
of promoting the implementation of the standards and recommended
practices established by the International Civil Aviation Organisation
(ICAO). We recognize ICAO as the overall authority on safety and
its oversight and call on all State Parties to support ICAO's role
in this area of its responsibility. To this end, we commit ourselves
and will make every effort to attend the September 1995 ICAO General
Assembly and to jointly reaffirm this principle at that forum;
(xx) work collectively
towards the implementation of improved Air safety Oversight programmed
where required, and urge ICAO to assist the efforts of ACS States,
Countries and Territories in this matter;
(xxi) assist and support
each other to the extent possible, in the relationship with other
agencies to ensure that our airlines and aircraft receive fair treatment
by these bodies.
With
respect to Human Resources and Training
(xxii) Encourage greater
collaboration among the relevant transportation related training
institutions in order to increase the number of skilled personnel
available for employment in the transportation industry;
(xxiii) explore the
possibilities of providing fellowships to trainees from each other's
States, Countries and Territories, and other mechanisms to promote
practical training and attachments;
(xxiv) call on the
International Maritime Organisation (IMO), the International Civil
Aviation Organisation (ICAO) and other relevant agencies to provide
technical assistance in the areas where requested.
With
regard to the follow-up to and implementation of the Plan of Action
(xxv) Establish, within
the framework of the ACS arrangements, a Technical Group on Transportation.
This Group will develop specific programmed to promote the maritime,
air and inter-modal transportation objectives outlined in this Plan
of Action.
CROSS
SECTORAL AND INSTITUTIONAL ISSUES
We recognize the opportunities
inherent in the inter-relationship of the sectors of tourism, trade
and transportation and the issues which are common to them. We accordingly
agree to:
With
respect to Information and Statistics
(i) Implement cooperative
programmed to develop and strengthen our systems for the collection
and dissemination of timely and accurate statistics on Tourism,
Trade and Transportation.
With
respect to Optimising Intersectoral Linkages
(ii) Request the ACS
Secretariat to identify and propose concrete ways of achieving a
greater interrelationship between tourism, trade and transportation
in collaboration with the relevant organizations with the objectives
of increasing complementarities among the ACS States, Countries
and Territories in those sectors and providing further impetus to
the economic integration of the ACS members.
Done at Port-Of -Spain,
Republic of Trinidad and Tobago this Eighteenth Day of August 1995
in a single copy in the English, French and Spanish languages, each
text being equally authentic.
