In accordance with the commitment made at the First Inter-Secretariat Meeting on Inter-Institutional Co-operation in the Greater Caribbean, which was held at the Headquarters of the Association of Caribbean States in Port of Spain, September 18-19, 2000, the Secretariat of the Association of Caribbean States (ACS) is pleased to present the first draft of a List of Topics of Interest, Studies and Projects related to Trade in the Greater Caribbean. This is the first effort aimed at consolidating the exchange of trade information in such a manner that it would strengthen mutual co-operation and coordination and avoid the duplication of efforts.
Firstly, the list presents the mechanisms used to access available information, in addition to issues, projects and studies that are either in the process of being prepared or have already been completed by the Secretariats of the Greater Caribbean during the period 1998-2001. In addition, the ACS Secretariat has drawn up a matrix that thematically summarizes the information and has included it as part of the list.
In seeking to facilitate understanding, the information has been classified into seven categories according to each Secretariat, as follows: (1) globalization and integration; (2) small economies; (3) trade statistics, databases and directories; (4) trade negotiations; (5) services negotiations; (6) specific sectors; and (7) other issues.
With respect to topics that are of particular interest to member countries, the following were identified:
It should be kept in mind that this document is a first draft and is therefore subject to changes and improvements when new information becomes available. It will also be subsequently developed into a database that would not only facilitate the use of information, but would also allow said information to be accessed via the Internet.
The ACS Secretariat thanks the Secretariats of the Greater Caribbean for the support given during the drafting process of this list.