The tasks contained in the following Plan of Action of the Association of Caribbean States (ACS) shall be completed within a two-year period and shall be the basis of the Work Programme and Programme Budget of the Association for the years 2002 and 2003. The Secretariat shall present regular reports and recommendations on the implementation of this Plan of Action to the Ministerial Council and its subsidiary organs, which will decide on action to be taken and possible modifications to be made, taking into account changes in circumstances.

Actions aimed at guaranteeing and mobilizing resources that would contribute to the implementation of projects in the areas of Sustainable Tourism, Trade, Transport and Natural Disasters, shall be articulated with the Council of National Representatives of the Special Fund, which, given its nature, is the body responsible for coordinating all these activities, in order to carry out necessary follow-up and control of projects, as well mobilizing the resources necessary to ensure the execution of said projects.

1. SUSTAINABLE TOURISM

As a result of the process of rationalisation and prioritisation, the actions of the Special Committee on Sustainable Tourism will be aimed at accomplishing the following objectives:

1.1          Signing, ratification and implementation of the Convention Establishing the Sustainable Tourism Zone of the Caribbean (STZC) by all Member States and Associate Members.

1.2          Full establishment and operationalisation of the mechanism provided for in the guidelines governing the identification, approval, categorization and incorporation of the destinations that constitute the STZC, to guarantee and/or ensure that they satisfy the criteria of Sustainable Tourism.

1.3          Establishment of a mechanism for the provision of technical and other assistance to Member States and Associate Members for the upgrading of standards, practices, and monitoring and regulatory instruments to meet the requirements of the established criterion for categorisation and incorporation of the STZC, such as the Certificate of Tourism Sustainability which emphasises the following aspects:

-      Economic Sustainability: which will result in the profitability of enterprises and therefore the creation of new jobs;

-      Environmental Sustainability: which will seek the protection of biological diversity and its valuation;

-      Social and Cultural Sustainability: which will promote greater benefit for local communities with due respect for and preservation of traditional values, the respective identities and conservation of cultural resources.

1.4          Obtaining financing for and initiating the implementation of the projects on: Inventory of the existing legal framework in the regional sphere, with regard to the twelve strategies defined in the Immediate Plan of Action; Study of the potential demand for tourism activity; Inventory of potential suppliers; and Study on potential multi-destination routes in the Caribbean.

1.5          Encourage the establishment of a Regional Tourist Security Network in the countries of the Greater Caribbean. We therefore welcome the convening of the First Congress on Tourist Security, which will be organized by the Police General Command of Nueva Esparta State, Venezuela, during the last quarter of 2002. 

1.6          Continuation of efforts and actions necessary to have the Caribbean Sea declared a Special Area in the context of Sustainable Development. 

1.7          Obtaining financing for and initiating the implementation of the Coastal Ecosystems Project.

1.8          Obtaining financing for and initiating the implementation of a Language Training Project.

1.9          Development and initial implementation of an action plan for cooperation in air transport for Sustainable Tourism.  The first step will be the organization in 2002 of a forum for Senior Airline Executives and the Highest Level Civil Aviation and Tourism Authorities of Member States and Associate Members.

1.10      Co-ordination with the Caribbean Environmental Programme of the United Nations Environment Programme (CEP/UNEP) to encourage Member States and Associate Members of the ACS to sign and/or ratify the Convention for the Protection of the Marine Environment of the Wider Caribbean Region, known as the Cartagena Convention and its Protocols:

§                Regarding Protected Areas of Wild Fauna and Flora (SPAW)

§                Regarding Land Based Sources of Marine Pollution. (LBS)

1.11        Co-ordination with the other regional fora, in particular the Ministers of the Environment of Latin America and the Caribbean, to promote further the integration of sustainable development into all activities.

1.12        Support for the marketing initiatives adopted by regional organizations, Member States and Associate Members in response to the terrorist acts of September 11, 2001 and their subsequent effects, with the objective of developing and diversifying non-traditional markets. As a result, it is recommended that service charges imposed by the tour operators and wholesalers not be adopted and that in their place, systems of co-operation and information be established to guarantee minimum price regimes that are in the best interests of the tourism industry.

1.13        Identification of mechanisms to involve Civil Society in the discussions and recommendations on the development of sustainable tourism in the Greater Caribbean region.

1.14        Encouraging Member States and Associate Members to maintain programmes of formal education, training and public awareness on sustainable tourism, which involve exchanges with universities and other academic institutions to permit the cultural development of the Greater Caribbean, while preserving the identity of the peoples.

1.15        Evaluation, if necessary, of the inclusion of other indicators of tourism sustainability in the STZC, such as those established by the human development and poverty indices of the United Nations.

1.16        Development of joint co-operation programmes for the creation of micro-enterprises, environmental management, transfer of technology, as well as other actions which contribute to the sustainability of tourism. Promotion of the implementation of special fiscal measures in favour of enterprises affected by natural disasters and other events that threaten the economic stability of the region.

1.17        Reinforcing the image of the Greater Caribbean as a peaceful, safe and tranquil destination in all spheres, by carrying out campaigns of institutional promotion to stimulate, among other things, the development of multi-destination and intra-Caribbean programmes, as well as to attract Caribbean immigrant communities in the developed countries of America and Europe, so that they can return home and consolidate their national identity.

2. DEVELOPMENT OF TRADE AND EXTERNAL ECONOMIC RELATIONS

In the context of the Development of Trade and External Economic Relations, the following goals must be met:

2.1        Approval and execution of a programme for the gradual reduction and elimination of obstacles to trade, for the  promotion of investment and to consolidate an enhanced economic space for trade and investment.

2.2        Development and implementation of the Integrated Information System of the Greater Caribbean, including the establishment of an Electronic Communication Network for Trade Information.

2.3        Annual convening of the Business Forum of the Greater Caribbean.  The 3^rd Business Forum of the Greater Caribbean will be held in Costa Rica in 2002, and the 4^th Forum in Cuba in 2003.

2.4          Continuing to hold Forums of Trade Promotion Organisations.  These may or may not take place concurrently with the Business Forums.

2.5          Convergence of positions of Member States and Associate Members in international negotiations with respect to the treatment of small economies in international agreements, particularly with respect to the World Trade Organisation (WTO) and the Free Trade Agreement of the Americas (FTAA), based on the principles set out in the Annex to the Declaration of Margarita.

2.6          Establishment and development of a Training Programme in Trade Negotiations, in coordination with and to complement those of other regional institutions.

3. TRANSPORT

The programme “Uniting the Caribbean by Air and Sea” will be implemented through actions in air and maritime transport, which might contribute, in an effective manner, to the expansion of intra-Caribbean trade and investment, multi-destination tourism, as well as functional cooperation in general among the Member States and  Associate Members of the ACS.  To this end, the following actions will be undertaken:

3.1        Completion of the negotiation and initiation of the implementation of the Air Transport Agreement among Member States and Associate Members of the Association of Caribbean States who so wish.

3.2          Obtaining financing for and initiating the implementation of the project "Creation of an up-to-date, user friendly, Internet-based system for obtaining and disseminating a database on Maritime Transport and Port Activity”.

3.3          Preparation of a project for the formation of a Coordinating Centre for Scientific and Technical Research, human resource training and consultancies for ACS Member States and Associate Members.

3.4       Signing and implementation, as the case may be, of the co-operation agreements between the ACS Secretariat and the Caribbean Shipping Association (CSA), TRAINMAR AMERICAS, the Maritime University of the Caribbean (UMC) of Venezuela, and the Caribbean Maritime Institute (CMI) of Jamaica.

4.  NATURAL DISASTERS

Activities in the area of Natural Disasters will be based on the Agreement between Member States and Associate Members of the Association of Caribbean States for Regional Co-operation on Natural Disasters. In this respect, the following will be undertaken:

4.1        Ratification and implementation of the Agreement by all Member States and Associate Members.

4.2          Continuing with the implementation of the projects related to: “Strengthening of the response capability of the national disaster response systems”; “Use of the existing information centres for antecedents and information on the activities in the priority areas identified by the Special Committee on Natural Disasters”; “Development of technical co-operation exchanges for emergency relief to strengthen Disaster Management Organisations (DMOs)”; and obtaining the necessary financing, when required by the Special Committee on Natural Disasters.

4.3          Implementation of the project  “Updating of Wind and Earthquake Codes of ACS countries and their placement on the Internet and/or CD-Rom”.

4.4        Preparation and implementation of the project “Promotion of the Human Resource Training Programmes existing in the Greater Caribbean Region in order to strengthen national DMOs”.

4.4          Preparation of regional programmes and projects, based on horizontal co-operation, aimed at strengthening national DMOs.

4.5          Preparation of a programme to promote and strengthen the exchange of information and experiences in the area of natural disasters, among the DMOs of Member States and Associate Members.

4.7          Development of a programme to promote and strengthen co-operation between existing sub-regional DMOs, such as CDERA and CEPREDENAC.

4.8          Realisation of a study on the possibility of creating mechanisms that identify sources of reimbursable and non-reimbursable financing, as well as the requirements for effective management vis-à-vis the international organisations, so that Member States and Associate Members of the ACS that are affected by disasters can direct the resources to the areas of rehabilitation and reconstruction.

5. SPECIAL FUND

As the executing agency of the ACS for international co-operation, the Special Fund, with the support and co-operation of Members States and Associate Members, will continue to seek new international co-operation resources for the execution of the projects outlined in this Plan of Action. 

In this context, the following actions will be carried out:

5.1          Strengthening of existing mechanisms of articulation and co-ordination, aimed at managing and fostering international co-operation in the ACS.

5.2          Establishment of a network of international co-operation focal points of Member States and Associate Members, with a view to strengthening co-ordination in the implementation of regional projects in the Greater Caribbean, through the use of new information technologies, as a mechanism of communication among these focal points.

5.3          Study, preparation and implementation of resource mobilization mechanisms of the private sector of the Greater Caribbean, in order to encourage and facilitate the participation of this sector in ACS projects.

5.4          Obtaining technical assistance aimed at the institutional strengthening of the Secretariat for managing co-operation projects.

5.5          Preparation of a matrix that would systematize all potential sources of co-operation for the ACS and the creation of a strategy so that, following a structured work plan and established priorities, the financing needed for the region might be sought.

In the execution of the present Plan of Action, the ACS Secretariat will continue to pay particular attention to:

§         The identification of a wide range of sources for financing the co-operation activities which have been approved by the ACS;

§         The development of political and co-operation relations with the Member States, Associate Members and Observers Countries of the ACS;

§         The development of inter-institutional co-operation with special emphasis on inter-Secretariat co-operation with the Founding Observers of the ACS;

§         The dissemination of information on the ACS to the general public; and

§         The promotion of the region of the Greater Caribbean as a Zone of Co-operation.