Projects and Initiatives – CARICOM https://caricom.org Caribbean Community Thu, 08 Apr 2021 21:04:19 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.4.6 Public Procurement Notice Board https://caricom.org/projects/public-procurement-notice-board/ Mon, 13 Jul 2020 05:45:17 +0000 https://caricom.org/?post_type=projects&p=23597 The Community Public Procurement Notice Board is a web-based, collaborative system to facilitate the publication of procurement opportunities in the CARICOM Region among those countries participating in the CARICOM Public Procurement Regime.

CPPNB supports the process of procuring works, services and supplies electronically. Different public procurement procedures are supported for both one-off or repetitive purchases through several dedicated sub-modules providing facilities for user registration, competition review, approval and publication on a national and community level.

Explore Procurement Portal

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CARICOM Single Market Application Processing System (CAPS) https://caricom.org/projects/caricom-single-market-application-processing-system-caps/ Thu, 09 Jul 2020 04:47:02 +0000 https://caricom.org/?post_type=projects&p=23525 The Document and Workflow Management System (DWMS) is a crucial component of the larger initiative to make the rights under the CSM more accessible and to ensure a higher level of efficiency and effectiveness in the processing of these rights. The system will contribute to the achievement of the full integration of the national markets of Member States of the Community into a single, unified and open market area.

The Revised Treaty of Chaguaramas calls for the modernisation of Governments Bureaucracies by inter alia:

  1. Encouraging the development of closer contacts between public sector administrations, industries and stakeholders;
  2. Removing impediments and improving the regulatory framework for economic enterprises at the national and regional levels; and
  3. Encouraging cost effectiveness in the delivery of services to the public.

In addition to addressing these Treaty mandates, the system will also generate reliable data on the movement in the Single Market. This has been a challenge the Community and Member States have been grappling with over the life of the CSM.

The system is a fully integrated web-based information management system which will facilitate the movement of skilled persons, temporary service providers and business persons across the twelve (12) participating Member States, by efficiently processing a significant number of documents which fall under the following processes:

  1. Application for a Skilled National Certificate
  2. Verification of Skilled National Certificate
  3. Change of Skilled National Certificate
  4. Application for Service Provider Certificate
  5. Change of Service Provider Certificate
  6. Movement under the Right of Establishment 

Expected Outcomes of the Document and Workflow Management System

The expected outcomes of the Document and Workflow Management System are:

(a) Improved application procedures, efficiency in the processing and approval and increased overall user friendliness of the system;

(b) Harmonised and standardised application throughout the twelve (12) participating Member States; and

(c) Improved capability to collect and capture reliable data which will enable Member States and the Community to formulate/develop policy and take decisions based on factual information.

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CARIFESTA – Caribbean Festival of Arts https://caricom.org/projects/carifesta-caribbean-festival-of-arts/ Tue, 07 Jul 2020 06:14:00 +0000 https://caricom.org/?post_type=projects&p=23508 The Caribbean Festival of Arts (CARIFESTA) is a roving multi-disciplinary art festival which has been held in various CARICOM countries since its establishment in 1972. It is  a regional forum where artists, performers and  other  persons in the  field of  culture meet and  exchange  ideas through presentations  of  music, dance, drama, exhibitions on art, sculpture, poetry and  symposia, among others. The CARICOM Secretariat through the Council on Human and Social Development (COHSOD) has since been involved not only in the shaping and preservation of CARIFESTA but also in promoting a coordinated approach to cultural policy development as embodied in the CARICOM Regional Cultural Policy endorsed by the Caribbean Community in 1994.  

The early years of CARIFESTA were captured from the Newspaper clippings collection sourced from The National Library of Guyana.  The CARIFESTA collection currently covers information emanating from all the CARIFESTAs held to date.   The Collection is supplemented by contributions from the Directorate of Human and Social Development through its Culture desk which liaises with the various  Directors of Culture in the region and with the Secretariats of the Host Country.

The Collection includes consultants’ and country reports, articles extracted from  magazines, correspondence, press releases, information leaflets, presentations at  Symposia, programmes, various CARIFESTA themes; posters, photographs and  newspaper clippings.

Explore CARIFESTA through the years

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CARICOM Youth Ambassadors https://caricom.org/projects/caricom-youth-ambassadors/ Sun, 05 Jul 2020 00:03:50 +0000 https://caricom.org/?post_type=projects&p=23088 The CARICOM Youth Ambassador Programme was launched in Saint Lucia in 1993 by the Heads of Government to mark the Twentieth Anniversary of CARICOM and was formally instituted in 1994. Since its inception, the Youth Ambassador Programme has contributed to increased youth knowledge and awareness of CARICOM issues and priorities; has raised the profile of young people at the national and regional levels; and has assisted in integrating the views and perspectives of young people from across the Region into national, regional and international policy and programmes.

These goals serve as a guideline for developing appropriate programme interventions and resource allocations, both at the regional and national level. Goals and targets should be reviewed from time to time to ensure they adequately and effectively respond to the needs and challenges of target populations. Importantly, while achieving the goals and targets of the CYAP, CYAs can help young people achieve their goals through matching the programmes implemented and the policies with their needs.

Strategic Goals of the CYAP

  • Goal 1: Educate Youth about regional issues and assist/encourage them to take advantage of an contribute to opportunities under the Caribbean Community’s Programme.
  • Goal 2: Integrate Youth Perspectives and encourage youth participation in the Caribbean Community’s Broader Social and Economic Development Systems.
  • Goal 3: Advocate for the rights of Young People and contribute to the development and implementation of effective national and regional policies and sustainable programme.
  • Goal 4: Promote Caribbean identify and citizenship among Young People.
  • Goal 5: Monitor and evaluate the implementation of the CYAP.
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Caribbean Exporter Gateway https://caricom.org/projects/caribbean-exporter-gateway/ Sat, 04 Jul 2020 05:24:56 +0000 https://caricom.org/?post_type=projects&p=23059 Promoting Market Access Facilitation in CARICOM

The Caribbean Exporter Gateway (CARIBGATE) provides information on the market access conditions for products traded within the CSME and, for products from CARICOM Member States entering Cuba, Costa Rica or the Dominican Republic. Information on tariffs, Rules of Origin, Non-tariff measures (including SPS requirements, import licences and other duties and charges) and other information, will be available.

The development of this database was made possible through funding from Spain, under the CARICOM/Spain Joint Fund for Technical Cooperation.

Learn more

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CARICOM Single Market and Economy https://caricom.org/projects/caricom-single-market-and-economy/ Mon, 29 Jun 2020 01:04:59 +0000 https://caricom.org/?post_type=projects&p=22858 CSME stands for CARICOM Single Market & Economy.

The CSME Unit of the CARICOM Secretariat is the impementation office which assists the Member States in fulfilling the requirements of the Revised Treaty of Chaguaramas.

The Caribbean Free Trade Area (CARIFTA) served as the governing body to remove tariffs and other barriers to intra-regional trade in Goods. In 1973, the CARIFTA agreement was deepened through the signing of The Treaty of Chaguaramas in Guyana. The Treaty included provisions to create a Common Market within the Caribbean region.

Following from this treaty, in 1989 at Grande Anse, Grenada, the CARICOM Heads of Government transformed the Common Market into the Single Market and Single Economy formally named the Caribbean Single Market and Economy- CSME. By 2002, the Revised Treaty of Chaguaramas was revised and updated to the removal of existing barriers of trade and to establish a Single Market space which included services, capital, technology, and the free movement of skilled professionals.  

The CSME seeks to implement provisions for the removal of trade and professional restrictions. These provisions facilitate the right to establishment businesses, to provide regional services, the free movement of capital and the coordination of economic policies. In the ensuing years, some Caribbean economies, under the auspices of multilateral lending institutions, implemented structural adjustment programmes having at their core, programmes of economic, financial and trade liberalisation that far exceeded their  commitments as expressed in the Treaty of Chaguaramas.  The fundamental aspects of CSME are as following:

  1. Consumer Affairs
  2. Competition Policy
  3. Social Security
  4. Contingent Rights
  5. Immigration Arrangements for Free Movement of Persons
  6. Administrative Arrangements for Commercial Establishment
  7. Government Procurement
  8. Trade and Competitiveness in CARICOM

Learn more

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Online company registry among 12 Member States https://caricom.org/projects/online-company-registry-among-12-member-states/ Thu, 25 Jun 2020 14:00:20 +0000 https://caricom.org/?post_type=projects&p=22775 The purpose of this project is to provide the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) Secretariat and its Member States with a functioning automated data management system for information exchange and networking among the national company registries and the CSME Unit regarding companies and other legal entities by:

a) completing the building of a secure regional database network among the company registries in Caricom’s 12 Member States and connected to a central repository at the CSME Unit in Barbados;

b) provide technical support to each of the 12 Member States to make the Caricom system of online registration of companies operational.

This project will build on results achieved in the area of institutional strengthening of company registries in the 12 Member States under the 2 antecedent projects implemented under the 9th EDF Caribbean Integration Support Programme (CISP).

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Promoting Agribusiness in the CSME https://caricom.org/projects/promoting-agribusiness-in-the-csme/ Thu, 25 Jun 2020 13:54:19 +0000 https://caricom.org/?post_type=projects&p=22773 The Agribusiness Development Programme was implemented as a sub-project within the larger Caribbean Integration Support Programme (CISP), funded under the 9th replenishment of the European Development Fund (EDF). The project aimed at developing a regional agribusiness strategy with the following main components

The Agribusiness Development Programme was implemented as a sub-project within the larger Caribbean Integration Support Programme (CISP), funded under the 9th replenishment of the European Development Fund (EDF). The project aimed at developing a regional agribusiness strategy with the following main components:

Upgrading and strengthening identified value chains to ensure competitiveness.
Integration of viable small and medium enterprises into these value chains; as well as beneficial participation of the poor (as consumers, farmers, agro-processors, and employers) in the process.
Developing/strengthening regional support institutions/services to deal with issues such as food safety and food product and process standards, marketing, finance, and transport .
Supporting public-private partnerships.
Strengthening the information base for the sector – (general information/   market intelligence.
Improving beneficial linkages between agriculture and tourism.

For more information visit: http://agricarib.org

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CARICOM PANCAP-CVC-COIN Multi Country Caribbean Regional Global Fund Project https://caricom.org/projects/caricom-pancap-cvc-coin-multi-country-caribbean-regional-global-fund-project/ Thu, 16 Apr 2020 16:41:50 +0000 https://caricom.org/?post_type=projects&p=21774 On 16 August 2019, the Board of The Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria approved a US$6.5 Million Multi-country Caribbean grant for PANCAP-CVC-COIN. The CARICOM Secretariat will serve as the Principal Recipient while PANCAP, CVC and COIN will serve as Sub-Recipients. CARPHA, PAHO and CENESEX in Cuba are Sub-sub-recipients.

The grant, titled “Sustainability of services for key populations in the Caribbean” commenced 1 October 2019 and will end on 30 September 2022. Men who have sex with men (MSM), Sex workers and Transgender people are direct beneficiaries of the grant which will be shared by ten counties, namely Antigua and Barbuda, Barbados, Belize, Cuba, Dominican Republic, Guyana, Haiti, Jamaica, Suriname and the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago.

The Goal of the grant is to provide sustainable prevention, treatment and care services for Key Populations in the Caribbean Region.

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Capacity Building related to the Implementation of Multilateral Environmental Agreements (MEAS) in African, Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) Countries – The Caribbean Hub https://caricom.org/projects/capacity-building-related-to-the-implementation-of-multilateral-environmental-agreements-meas-in-african-caribbean-and-pacific-acp-countries-the-caribbean-hub/ Thu, 30 Jan 2020 17:45:33 +0000 http://wp.caricom.org/?post_type=projects&p=21055 Background


The Caribbean Community (CARICOM) Secretariat is the Caribbean Hub of the Programme for Capacity Building Related to Multilateral Environmental Agreements (MEAs) in African, Caribbean and Pacific Countries, known as the ACP-MEAs Programme.


The programme is funded by the European Commission through the Secretariat of the African, Caribbean and Pacific Group of States. The United Nations Environment Programme is the overall global programme coordinator and facilitator, and the project is being implemented in the Caribbean through the CARICOM Secretariat’s Sustainable Development and Environment Programme. The first phase of the ACP-MEAs programme ran from 2009-2014, and the current phase is scheduled to run until 2017.

Project Overview

The aim of the Caribbean Hub project is to strengthen Caribbean countries’ capacity to effective implement the MEAs to which they are party, and therefore to build capacity for sound environmental management and sustainable development.

MEAs are important tools for global environmental management, protection and governance. They address major environmental problems that have an international scope and impact. Countries that become Parties to MEAs make a commitment to work towards internationally agreed environmental objectives.
Caribbean countries are Parties to, and have been strong supporters of, many MEAs. However, like many developing countries, Caribbean countries have found it difficult to fulfill their obligation under these agreements because of a lack of capacity to address emerging and increasingly complex scientific and technical issues. Meanwhile, environmental degradation in the Caribbean continues to have negative impacts on ecosystem health, sustainable economic growth, and human well-being.

Via the ACP-MEAs programme, the CARICOM Secretariat provides training, technical advice, guidance documents and handbooks, and policy and advisory support to help countries improve MEA implementation and address challenges related to loss of biodiversity and the sound management of chemicals and waste. Improvements in these two focal areas will contribute to better overall management of the environment and natural resources of Caribbean countries.


Project Publications

Handbooks and Guides

Achieving National and Sectoral Development Priorities: The Use of Integrated Environmental Assessment Tools for Improved MEA Implementation

Guide to Multilateral Environmental Agreements for Customs Officers

Training Manual on Climate Responsibility and Participation in Carbon Offset Programmes for the Caribbean Hotel Sector

Factsheets

The Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals (CMS)

The Minamata Convention on Mercury

The Nagoya Protocol on Access to Genetic Resources and the Fair and Equitable Sharing of Benefits Arising from their Utilization  

 Waste and Chemicals Management in CARICOM Countries: The Stockholm Convention

Waste and Chemicals Management in CARICOM Countries: The Rotterdam Convention

Waste and Chemicals Management in CARICOM Countries: The Basel Convention

The Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES)

Strategic Approach to International Chemicals Management (SAICM)

The Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer

Summary of MEAs Ratification in Caribbean ACP Countries

International Convention for the Prevention of Pollution from Ships (MARPOL)

ACP-MEAs Phase  I – the Caribbean Hub

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