I want to begin by thanking the Secretary-General and CARICOM Secretariat as a whole, for the excellent arrangements in place for us to gather here at the Secretariat and virtually.

Two years ago, we could never have imagined the turmoil that the global trading system and the global economy are confronted with. Our business community is reeling from cancelled export orders, the imposition of new and unexpected tariffs and unprecedented uncertainties.

It is in this context that today I wish to underscore the important role assigned to the COTED as the Council that addresses the Single Market and trade and economic development issues that are at the forefront of our Community’s concerns. Trade and economic development issues were and will always be at the top of this Community’s development agenda as a grouping of small states.

The question of whether our exports can enter markets with the least possible barriers and whether imports reach us in a timely, safe, and affordable manner will all impact the performance of our economies and determine whether we thrive or struggle as a Community. These considerations must be uppermost on our minds today as we take these critical decisions in our region’s interest.

Excellencies, our meeting will consider the actionable recommendations of our Senior Officials who met on 7-8 May 2025. I am confident that all the reports from the Preparatory Meeting of Officials and other documentation have been reviewed, and delegations are briefed and ready to work. We are convened here at a moment of tremendous global and geopolitical tension and unease. As we attempt to navigate these turbulent waters, I want to acknowledge and express gratitude to Dr. Carla Barnett, Secretary-General CARICOM; Amb Wayne McCook, Assistant Secretary-General, CARICOM Single Market and Trade; Dr. Wendell Samuel, Assistant Secretary-General Economic Integration, Innovation and Development; General Counsel Lisa Shoman, upon whom I will rely on to assist us during the course of our deliberations.

Excellencies, we have a range of matters for discussion/decision. We will take note of the status of work on the development of COTED Draft Rules of Procedure emanating from the Open-ended Working Group (OEWG). With respect to implementation of the CSME, we have work to do on the trade in goods regime that is a mainstay of COTED’s work. In this regard we will consider:

– Requests for suspensions of the CET received by the Secretary General between 27 May and 3 June 2025.

– Outcomes of regional consultations on the Review of Community RoO and on the Use of specifications in applications for suspensions of the CET and the granting of safeguard certificates.

– The implementation of the revised CET regime.

– We will also consider important initiatives of the CSME which need to be advanced with urgency with respect to Free movement of all CARICOM nationals; the Community’s Competition Policy regime, the Regional Industrial Policy and strategy, and the assessment of the Impacts and Potential Benefits of the CSME.

– On External Trade Relations, we will consider multilateral developments in the WTO; key developments in US trade policy that impact CARICOM trade and economic prospects; regional preparations for the resumption of negotiations with Colombia; and Belize’s request for certification and approval of its Partial Scope Agreement with El Salvador.

– On Standards, we will consider CROSQ’s request for approval of two Final Draft CARICOM Regional Standards and an update on the ongoing conversations regarding the Front of Package Labelling (FOPL).

Additionally, there are several matters for information/update regarding:

– Implementation of the CARICOM Interactive Marketplace and Suspension Procedure (CIMSuPRO)

– Implementation of the Protocol on Public Procurement in the Community

– Progress with respect to the programme of support measures for implementation of Article 164 of the Revised Treaty, among other things.

Excellencies, we have a full agenda. I intend to keep our deliberations focused – agenda item by agenda item. I encourage brief and focused interventions directed to the issues under consideration. Above all things, let us be ready to take bold and decisive action on matters that require clear direction from us as Ministers in the collective interest of this Region.

Under the chairmanship of Honourable Kerrie Symmonds, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade of Barbados, regional ministers responsible for trade and economic development will meet 10-11 June.

To advance the ministerial agenda, officials met virtually on 7-8 May. Barbados’ Director of Foreign Trade, Paula Byer, chaired the preparatory sessions. She underlined the importance of COTED which addresses the key single market, trade and economic development issues at the heart of the Community’s agenda.

She highlighted some of the matters for discussion such as the CARICOM Single Market and Economy (CSME), including the free movement of nationals, the Community Competition Policy, the draft regional Industrial Policy, trade in goods, and considerations on the revision of the Common External Tariff and Rules of Origin.

External economic relations, and draft rules of procedures of the COTED, were among the matters on the agenda of the Meeting of Officials.

Ambassador Wayne McCook, Assistant Secretary-General, CARICOM Single Market and Trade, spoke before the session began, describing it as a “key meeting” with a “significant agenda” with “intra-regional and extra-regional trade issues that require close and careful attention”. He called for expeditious action on decisions that the officials will recommend to the Ministers to advance timely and effective implementation of the trade and economic integration and development agenda of the Region

The Hon. Sir Molwyn Joseph, Minister of Health, Wellness, Environment and Civil Service Affairs of Antigua and Barbuda, chaired the one-day meeting, which deliberated on regional environmental and natural resources governance, and sustainable ocean-based economic development.

Other subject areas the Ministers discussed included strengthening biodiversity management, and the Community’s participation in upcoming meetings of the Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC).

The Chairman and other Ministers spoke with the CARICOM Communications Unit about the key take-aways of the Meeting.

Listen:

Sir Molwyn Joseph, Minister of Health, Wellness, the Environment and Civil Service Affairs of Antigua and Barbuda, chaired the recently held 118th Special Meeting of the Council for Trade and Economic Development (COTED), that emphasised environmental and natural resources governance, sustainable ocean-based economic development and strengthening the Community’s approach to biodiversity management.

The Chair spoke with the Communications Unit on the sidelines of the special meeting. Listen as he explains the far-reaching consequences of plastic pollution on the health and development of CARICOM Member States and why there must be a policy to tackle it.

Please read his remarks below:

Excellencies, Honourable Ministers, Distinguished Partners, Members of the Diplomatic Corps, Colleagues, Friends,

Good evening.

It is a profound honour to deliver this keynote address as we bring to a close the 12th Council of Ministers of Environmental Sustainability (COM:ES) and open the 118th Special Meeting of the Council for Trade and Economic Development (COTED) on Environment and Sustainable Development.

This evening also marks the formal launch of the CARICOM Environmental and Natural Resources Policy Framework, a moment that signals renewed commitment to advancing sustainability and resilience across our Caribbean region.

The theme of this joint occasion—“Regional Cohesion – Addressing the Triple Planetary Crises in an Uncertain World”—is not only timely; it captures the essence of what was discussed throughout today’s ministerial plenary.

Earlier, we engaged in frank, constructive deliberations on the state of the region’s environment, and I wish to reflect on a few points that emerged with clarity and urgency:

• First, the consensus was overwhelming: climate finance remains grossly inadequate and difficult to access, particularly for small states managing overlapping environmental and economic vulnerabilities. There was a clear call for reform of financing mechanisms to ensure accessibility, fairness, and speed.
• Second, we examined the escalating cost of inaction on land degradation, marine pollution, and biodiversity loss. Ministers reaffirmed that environmental degradation is now not just an ecological risk, but a profound threat to national development, health systems, and food security.
• Third, there was recognition that regional coordination must be deepened, particularly between OECS and CARICOM entities, if we are to avoid fragmentation and inefficiency in implementation. The spirit of unity and shared responsibility was evident in every intervention.

I commend all Ministers and technical teams for their insights, their candour, and their commitment. Let us carry that momentum forward—not only into the COTED discussions tomorrow, but into the structures, budgets, and institutions that will bring these priorities to life.

To our development partners and international colleagues, we are grateful that you have joined us this evening—not simply as guests, but as co-creators of Caribbean sustainability.

The policy we launch tonight must be backed by long-term partnerships that provide predictable financing, capacity support, and access to technology. We invite you to stand with us as we operationalize this framework and invest in regional mechanisms such as the Centre of Excellence for Environment and Climate—a space designed to accelerate implementation, expand knowledge, and amplify Caribbean leadership.

Let us also use this moment to reaffirm our collective belief in multilateralism, not as a theoretical ideal, but as a practical mechanism that enables fairness, protects the sovereignty of small states, and supports development aligned with the needs of our people.

Colleagues, tomorrow’s COTED meeting will be decisive. The agenda is ambitious—and it must be met with equal ambition from all of us.

I urge strategic focus and disciplined decision-making as we consider the pathways for marine spatial planning, climate resilience programming, regional trade-environment linkages, and pollution control frameworks. We must move from principle to policy, and from policy to implementation.

Let this evening not only celebrate the adoption of a regional policy. Let it ignite the political will and the regional cohesion needed to make it work—for our ecosystems, our economies, and our children.

With those reflections, I now have the honour of declaring the 118th Special Meeting of the Council for Trade and Economic Development (COTED) on Environment and Sustainable Development officially open.

Thank you.

Prime Minister Mitchell is the lead Head of Government for Science and Technology in the CARICOM Quasi Cabinet. He will chair the meeting as the Community advances the digital resilience strategic framework approved by the Conference of Heads of Government at their 47^th Regular Meeting from 28-30 July 2024. The framework focuses on digital integration, infrastructure and connectivity, skills workforce development and capacity-building, government, e-services and sectors, and the policy regulatory environment.

On Tuesday 26 November, Member State officials and ICT lead agencies laid the groundwork for the Special Meeting. Discussions at this virtual preparatory meeting of officials, focused on the implementation of the CARICOM Single ICT Space Roadmap and Integrated Workplan; coordination and representation of the Region at international forums related to digital development; shaping strategies for 2025 and beyond, taking into account the speed of development in the digital arena; enhancing digital skills in the Region; improving connectivity; and finalising a cyber resilient strategy.

In remarks at the opening of the preparatory meeting, Amb. David Prendergast, Director, Sectoral Programmes at the CARICOM Secretariat, indicated that attention to those matters will ensure continued progress toward a robust CARICOM Single ICT Space and broader digital transformation goals.

“Together, through strategic collaboration and decisive action, we can ensure that ICT continues to illuminate the path to CARICOM’s progress”, Amb. Prendergast said.

The 111th Special Meeting of the COTED will be convened virtually.

Dr. Barnett made the call at the opening of the Fifty-Ninth Regular Meeting of the COTED on Wednesday 27 November 2024, at the CARICOM Secretariat, Georgetown, Guyana, where she also urged Ministers of Trade to make full use of the Treaty’s rules and flexibilities on agenda items, particularly those that are sensitive.

She commended the progress being made in several areas, such as implementing the approved categories of workers under the Free Movement of Skills Regime of the CARICOM Single Market and Economy (CSME).

“As this COTED deliberates, we are reminded that the framers of the Revised Treaty sought to be careful to strike the right balance between the common interests of the Community and the interests of Member States within our Community of sovereign states. They did not intend to promote winners and losers; rather, the objective is a Community that supports enhanced trade, investment, integration of production, and development for all,” Dr. Barnett said.

Chair of the Meeting, Senator the Hon. Paula Gopee-Scoon, Minister of Trade and Industry of Trinidad and Tobago, highlighted the extensive agenda on which the Ministers will deliberate during the two-day meeting. Discussions will centre on matters including the free movement of Community nationals, the Revised Draft Policy on the Regulation of Mergers and Acquisitions, trade in goods, and the status of the Community Intellectual Property Framework.

On the external trade front, the Ministers will focus on multilateral developments from the 13th World Trade Organisation (WTO) Ministerial Conference, CARICOM-Colombia negotiations and partial scope agreements.

“I want to emphasise this morning the important role that has been assigned to us in COTED as the Council that addresses the Single Market and trade and economic development issues that are at the forefront of our Community’s agenda,” Minister Gopee-Scoon said.

The Meeting concludes on Thursday, 28 November.

 Please see more photos here

About COTED:
The Council for Trade and Economic Development (COTED) is a CARICOM decision-making body, which, among other things, supports the production, quality control and marketing of industrial and agricultural commodities, and oversees the operations of the Single Market and Economy.

• Honourable Ruben Meade, Premier of Montserrat, who is joining us for his first Meeting of the COTED, since assuming office;

• Honourable Paula Gopee-Scoon, Minister of Trade and Industry of Trinidad and Tobago, and Chair of Council for Trade and Economic Development (COTED);

• Other Ministers and Heads of Delegations;

• Heads and Other Representatives of Regional Institutions;

• Colleagues of the CARICOM Secretariat;

• Distinguished Delegates;

• Ladies and Gentlemen.

It is a pleasure to welcome you to this Fifty-Ninth Regular Meeting of the Council of Trade and Economic Development (COTED). The agenda before us is extensive, covering important regional trade, economic integration, and development issues.

As this COTED deliberates, we are reminded that the framers of the Revised Treaty sought to be careful to strike the right balance between the common interests of the Community and the interests of Member States within our Community of sovereign states. They did not intend to promote winners and losers; rather, the objective is a Community that supports enhanced trade, investment, integration of production, and development for all.

I am pleased to note this COTED has several items on which progress has been made. There are others for which finalisation of work is possible, including the reports on the review of the Common External Tariff (CET) and the Rules of Origin; the report on the Draft Rules of Procedure for the COTED; and preparation for further negotiations with Colombia.

On Free Movement of Skills, the reports of progress in implementing all the approved categories and consideration of the addition of aviation personnel is encouraging. These efforts will strengthen the free movement of skills regime, as the action to implement the Conference’s decision on full free movement continues to percolate.

I am also pleased to note that there has been progress in the work on Article 164 measures. Article 164 recognises that participation in the Single Market and Economy must accommodate the diverse interests and circumstances of all Member States.

Similarly, the Partial Scope Agreements before this COTED remind us that the Treaty is designed to support individual Member States in building bilateral trade arrangements that respond to their particular circumstances. I therefore encourage Ministers to apply the guidelines provided by Article 80 of the Treaty, in expediting the consideration of these proposed agreements.

Madam Chair, I urge the 59^th COTED to adopt realistic and practical decisions on which all in the Community can rely. The Treaty provides specific pathways to address national challenges, including through deferrals and derogations that are agreed among Member States. Taking this approach ensures predictability for stakeholders and the people of the Community. It removes the uncertainty that arises when agreed commitments and obligations are disregarded or referred to consultations and indeterminate processes.

Senior Officials have done a commendable job of addressing the technical issues.  Their report provides a solid basis for Ministers to address significant policy questions and deliver actionable decisions, having due regard to the Treaty requirement to address the budgetary implications of all decisions at the time of adoption. This is essential to counter any tendency for decision implementation to be deferred and delayed for lack of resources.

Finally, Madam Chair, I urge this COTED to make full use of the Treaty’s rules and flexibilities as it addresses the matters on the table, especially the most sensitive. I am confident that under your leadership, and with the valuable contribution of the Ministers and other Heads of Delegations present, we will deliver a successful outcome from this 59^th Meeting of the Council.

Thank you, ladies and gentlemen.

A key Agenda item will be an update from the Special Ministerial Task Force on Food Production and Food Security. CARICOM Heads of Government have pinpointed food and nutrition security as a priority for the Region.

Discussions will also focus on trade in agricultural products; the development of the blue economy and the regional fisheries sector; and agriculture health and food safety.

Ahead of the Special COTED, agriculture officials met on 20 September in hybrid format under the chairmanship of Nela Dwarika-Ali, Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Agriculture, Land and Fisheries of Trinidad and Tobago, to lay the foundation for the ministerial session.  The Permanent Secretary positioned the preparatory meeting in the context of the aftermath of Hurricane Beryl and the “final leg” of the 25 by 2025 Initiative. Ms Dwarika-Ali also urged the officials to focus on the ultimate objectives of sustainability, improving the returns and livelihoods of the farmers and others agri-food producers, and bringing benefits to consumers and regional economies.

This Special COTED will be chaired by the Hon. Saboto Caesar, Minister of Agriculture, Forestry, Fisheries, Rural Transformation, Industry and Labour of St Vincent and the Grenadines.