A DELEGATION from the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) Secretariat on Wednesday began a two-day capacity-building and public education exercise in Suriname. The visit was at the invitation of Vice-President of Suriname, Robert Ameerali in keeping with his government’s prioritization of its participation in CARICOM.
The objectives of the exercise were to deepen the understanding of all relevant stakeholders in contemporary CARICOM related matters; strengthen the relationship with the Surinamese private sector; and develop a sustainable technical relationship between the CARICOM Secretariat and the Surinamese Government, a release from the CARICOM Secretariat stated.
To this end, the CARICOM Secretariat delegation had exchanges with officials from various government ministries, as well as a wide cross-section of the private sector.
Led by Ambassador Irwin LaRocque, CARICOM Assistant Secretary-General, Trade and Economic Integration, the team included Ambassador Gail Mathurin, Director General, Office of Trade Negotiations; Ms. Desiree Field-Ridley, Advisor, Single Market and Sectoral Programmes; Mr. Brandford Isaacs, Advisor to the Secretary-General on EPA Implementation; Mr. Sergio Garcia, Programme Manager, Agriculture and Industry; Mr. Norris Breedy, Deputy Programme Manager, Single Market and Economy, and Ms. Lilia Ramjeawan, Special Assistant, Trade and Economic Integration
On Wednesday, the team provided an update on the status of negotiations for a Trade and Development Agreement between CARICOM and Canada. A working session on trade in agriculture was also held.
The Secretariat team had discussions with staff of the Ministry of Agriculture and members of the Committee on Agricultural Exports on how Suriname could position itself to take advantage of the opportunities afforded by the CARICOM Single Market and Economy (CSME) to bolster its agricultural exports.
The participants were also apprised on the developments relating to the setting up of the Caribbean Agricultural Health and Food Safety Agency (CAHFSA) which will be based in Suriname.
The team engaged government ministries and the private sector again on Thursday to discuss issues relating to the CSME including Trade in Goods, particularly matters related to the Common External Tariff (CET), free movement of persons and the Single Economy.
A session was also held on the Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA) to discuss the implementation obligations, institutional arrangements and progress of implementation by the CARIFORUM Member States.
In addition to the technical discussions the team also had one-on-one sessions at the policy level with the Vice-President and the Ministers of Foreign Affairs, Trade and Industry and Agriculture and exchanged views on how Suriname can optimize its membership within the Caribbean Community.
This mission is designed to be a launch pad for more in depth exchanges with sessions specifically on CARICOM-Canada and EPA being planned for the second quarter of the year, the release added.