ASSOCIATION OF CARIBBEAN STATES (ACS) AND CARIFORUMModules pages 438-440

Form 4 and 5

AMSR

http://www.acs-aec.org/

Caribbean Social Studies for CSEC (Brathwaite et al)

The Association of Caribbean States

• The ACS brings together for the first time the English, Spanish, French and Dutch-speaking countries and territories of the Caribbean Sea.

• The Secretariat of the ACS is located in Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago.

Present Secretary General of the ACS:Her Excellency Ambassador Dr. June Soomer

When was the ACS established?

The Convention Establishing the Association of Caribbean States (ACS) was signed on 24 July 1994 in Cartagena de Indias, Colombia

Aim: promoting consultation, cooperation and concerted action among all the countries of the Caribbean.

Members

1. Antigua and Barbuda,

2. Bahamas,

3. Barbados,

4. Belize,

5. Colombia,

6. Costa Rica,

7. Cuba,

8. Dominica,

9. Dominican Republic,

10. El Salvador,

11. Grenada,

12. Guatemala,

13. Guyana

14. Haiti,

15. Honduras,

16. Jamaica,

17. Mexico,

18. Nicaragua,

19. Panama,

20. St Kitts and Nevis,

21. St Lucia,

22. St Vincent and the Grenadines,

23. Suriname,

24. Trinidad and Tobago,

25. Venezuela.

Rights of Member States of the ACS

The Member States shall have the right to participate in discussions and to vote at meetings of the Ministerial Council and Special Committees of the Association.

10 Associate Member States of the ACSAssociate Members shall have the right to intervene in discussions and vote at meetings of the Ministerial Council and Special Committees on matters which affect them directly.

1. Aruba

2. British Virgin Islands

3. Curacao

4. France on behalf of (French Guiana and Saint Barthelemy),

5. Guadeloupe

6. Martinique

7. Saint Martin

8. Sint Maarten

9. The Netherlands Antilles on behalf of (Saba and Sint Eustatius)

10. Turks and Caicos

How and Why it All Began

• The Association of Caribbean States is a product of the desire of the 35 Contracting States, Countries and Territories of the Greater Caribbean to enhance cooperation within the region

• Builds upon the region’s geographic proximity and historical linkages

• Primary purpose: “consultation, cooperation and concerted action”

• It provides a forum for political dialogue that allows Members the opportunity to identify areas of common interest and concern that may be addressed at the regional level, and the solutions which can be found through cooperation.

The ACS has identified 5 areas of concern:

1. The Caribbean Sea

2. Sustainable Tourism

3. Trade

4. Natural Disasters

5. Transport

1. The preservation and conservation of the Caribbean Sea

It is the duty of all Caribbean citizens to protect this very tangible shared birthright.

• Tourism (sun/sea/sand)(foreign exchange, jobs, revenue)

• Seafood

• Livelihood: Fishing industry (food, jobs, revenue)

• Recreation/leisure (stress relief)

• Trade links (imports & exports)

2. Sustainable TourismThe tourism industry is vitally important to the economic development of all ACS members.

3. Trade and Economic RelationsTo further advance economic integration and intra-regional trade and investment, thereby improving the economic competitiveness of the Greater Caribbean region.

4. Natural DisastersThe continued vulnerability of all countries and territories of the Greater Caribbean to the physical ravages and economically crippling consequences of natural disasters.

The ACS has identified 5 areas of concern:5. Transport

The proper functioning of efficient and viable intraregional air and maritime routes (facilitates closer intraregional relations)

Functions of the ACS

• strengthening of the regional co-operation and integration process

• creating an enhanced economic space in the region;

•preserving the environmental integrity of the Caribbean Sea which is regarded as the common patrimony of the peoples of the region;

•promoting the sustainable development of the Greater Caribbean.

Structure of the ACSThe main organs of the Association are:-

(1) the Ministerial Council, which is the principal organ for policy-making and direction of the Association

(2) the Secretariat

There are five Special Committees on:

1. Trade Development and External Economic Relations

2. Sustainable Tourism

3. Transport

4. Disaster Risk Reduction

5. Budget and Administration• There is also a Council of National Representatives of the Special Fund

responsible for overseeing resource mobilisation efforts and project development.

Structure and Organization

The Permanent Organs of the Association of Caribbean States are:

1. The Ministerial Council

2. The Secretariat

The Ministerial CouncilThe Ministerial Council is made up of the Ministers and/or representatives of the Member States, and is the main organ for policy-making and direction of the Association.

The Secretariat and holds its Ordinary Meeting during the last two weeks of January of every year.

The Executive Board of the Ministerial Council

• Consists of a Chairman, two Vice Chairmen and a Rapporteur, who are appointed during the meeting of the Ministerial Council and perform their functions until the end of the next meeting of the Council. This appointment is carried out on the basis of geographic and linguistic rotation among the groups that make up the Association, with each of the groups deciding internally the country that will fill that post.

• The Executive Board provides guidance and ensures follow-up of and coordination in the implementation of the Association's Work Programme. The Executive Board meets on a biannual basis.

The Intersessional Meeting

• In an effort to maintain communication and coordination between Member States and the Secretariat, the Association also convenes an annual Intersessional Meeting, which is open to participation by all Members.

• This Intersessional Meeting is held at least six months after the Ordinary Meeting of the Ministerial Council and among its numerous tasks, reviews the progress made in the Association's Work Programme; assesses the work of the Special Committees; and evaluates the operations of the Secretariat.

The Special Committees

The Ministerial Council has established the following Special Committees, to assist in the implementation of its objectives:

1. The Special Committee on Trade Development and External Economic Relations;

2. The Special Committee on Transport;

3. The Special Committee on Sustainable Tourism;

4. The Special Committee on Disaster Risk Reduction;

5. The Special Committee on Budget and Administration

The Secretariat

• The ACS Secretariat, headquartered in Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago, is supported by 32 full time members of staff, most of whom are bilingual, or trilingual.

• Since the official languages of the Association are English, French and Spanish, all documents are prepared and distributed in the three official languages and interpretation is provided at all meetings of the organization.

The Secretariat

Led by the Secretary General, the Secretariat, assists the Ministerial Council and Special Committees in the development and implementation of their policies and programmes. In order to fulfil this role, it is called upon to:

• Maintain political relations with members and maintain contact with other sub-regional, regional and international organizations;

• Mobilize funds for projects;

• Service the meetings of the Ministerial Council and the Special Committees and take appropriate action issues arising at those meetings;

• Disseminate information to Member States, Associate Members and to other relevant entities; and

• Manage the finances and ensure the smooth running of the Association.

What is the difference between the ACS and CARICOM?• Whilst there are similarities between the ACS and CARICOM, it is

important to note that they are indeed different organizations.

How are they different?

• The ACS is tri-lingual and represents the Greater Caribbean. It currently has 25 Member States, 10 Associate Members, 28 Observer Countries as well as Observer Organizations, Founding Observers, Social Actors and other Collaborative Organizations and 250+ million people

• CARICOM is mainly the English-speaking Caribbean. It has 15 members, and approximately 14 million people.

• CARICOM is about integration; the ACS is about cooperation

• CARICOM aims to be a Single Market & Economy (CSME) the ACS does not

What is the ACS doing?

• Working on the Sustainable Tourism Zone of the Caribbean

• Facilitating Language Training

• Working on the Caribbean Sea Initiative

• Coordinating an annual Business Forum of the Greater Caribbean

• Defending the interests and treatment of Small Economies

• Updating Building Codes

• Strengthening Disaster Agencies

The Special Committee on Trade Development and External Economic Relations

1. studies on obstacles to trade

2. studies on the possible measures that could be taken to implement Special and Differential Treatment (SDT)

3. creation of the Integrated Information System of the Greater Caribbean, which will gather information on the priority areas of the Association (trade, transport, sustainable tourism and natural disasters) and make it available on the Internet

4. collecting trade statistics and keeping an inventory of

• studies undertaken by other bodies in the region

• training programmes in trade negotiations

5. strengthen ties within the business community through the business forum (gives business people the chance to establish contacts, explore business opportunities and exchange ideas)

The Committee meets twice per year

The Special Committee on Sustainable Tourism

Seeks to ensure that destinations can attract visitors but, at the same time, do so in a way that would not harm the physical environment or the communities that surround them.

The development of several projects:

• a study of the problems facing coastal ecosystems and how these can be solved through sustainable tourism

• a language training project for less developed countries in the Caribbean

• analysis of multi-destination tourism within the region

• analyse transport as it relates to tourism so as to improve transport to help tourism, including the development of alliances among carriers. A direct fruit of this should be a forum on air transport for tourism.

• The building of an Information Centre

• Work with the Caribbean Tourism Organisation to look at tourism following the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001.

• cooperation with the Pan American Health Organisation to develop a health programme in the region to analyse what can be done to foster cooperation among member states to fight problems like AIDS. The idea is that for the region to remain attractive as a tourist destination, issues of health and education must first be addressed.

• The Special Committee on Sustainable Tourism meets twice a year.

What does the ACS Secretariat do?

• Daily interaction with Member States, Social Partners, Founding Observer Organisations, regional and international organisationsdonor agencies and countries on activities, meetings and fund-raising related to the Plan of Action

• Execute the Budget & Work Programme

• Strategic Planning

• Promotion of the ACS

Image and information sources

ACS flag: https://www.crwflags.com/fotw/images/i/int-acs.gif

ACS HEADQUARTERS: https://venezuelanalysis.com/files/styles/large/public/images/2017/03/acs-building.jpg?itok=x0ymLruv

Caribbean Airlines: https://i2.wp.com/www.guyanatimesinternational.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/10/Caribbean-Airlines.jpg?fit=1200%2C777&ssl=1

CA routes: https://worldairlinenews.files.wordpress.com/2011/11/air-caribbean-air-jamaica-2011-route-map.jpg

LIAT routes: https://worldairlinenews.files.wordpress.com/2013/06/liat-62013-route-map.jpg?w=625

Trade talks: https://www.piie.com/sites/default/files/featured-image/trade-talks_-_featured-image.png

Caribbean Sea: https://caribbeannewsservice.com/now/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/Caribbean-Sea.jpg

Container ship: https://i.insider.com/4ecf97a7ecad04182f00001a

Volcano, Montserrat: https://www.bgs.ac.uk/discoveringGeology/hazards/volcanoes/montserrat/images/Incandescence.jpg

Montserrat, volcano: https://www.themontserratreporter.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/Montserat-July-25-997.jpg

Hurricane, Dominica: http://www.the-triton.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/HURRICANE-Dominica-damage.jpg

Earthquake, Haiti: https://haitirescuecenter.files.wordpress.com/2010/01/jan-013-2010-e-1051.jpg

http://www.acs-aec.org/index.php?q=about/faq

http://www.acs-aec.org/index.php?q=content/members-and-associate-members