(CARICOM Secretariat)  A recently held workshop, organized by the Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA) Implementation Unit of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) Secretariat, for representatives of Government Information Services (GIS) of the CARIFORUM States, has been described by participants as having “paved the way for enhanced cooperation on EPA-related messaging in the public domain, between technocrats with responsibility for the EPA in the CARICOM Secretariat and focal points in Government Information Services of the Region.”

The Regional Workshop on the CARIFORUM-EU EPA for Senior Officers of the Government Information Services was held 17 to 18 March in St Kitts and Nevis. The workshop was funded under the 9th European Development Fund (EDF), Caribbean Integration Support Programme (CISP). It was also made possible by UK aid from the Department for International Development, through the Caribbean Aid for Trade and Regional Integration Trust Fund (CARTFund).

In her feature address at the opening ceremony, the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of International Trade of the host State, Ambassador Rosalyn Hazelle, expressed the hope that participants would make full use of the forum. She said that the workshop represented a “unique opportunity” for participants to deepen their knowledge base. Ambassador Hazelle noted that it also served as a basis for participants to explore the scope for strategic partnerships with the EPA Implementation Unit, so as to better inform the general public on an Agreement that stands to impact their “everyday lives.”

The workshop—described by participants as “informative” and “exceeding expectations”—adopted a format similar to that of a workshop organized by the EPA Implementation Unit for representatives of print and broadcast media houses from the CARIFORUM States.

The capstone of the two-day engagement was an examination of prospects for collaboration between the EPA Implementation Unit and GIS stakeholders, with respect to EPA-related messaging. In this regard, the workshop laid the groundwork for collaboration between the EPA Implementation Unit and GIS stakeholders. Principles that it is anticipated will inform sustained, proactive interface, were agreed to, as were the focal points expected to operationalise partnerships. The modalities for interface are to be worked out with GIS focal points, on a case-by-case basis.

The fifteen signatory Caribbean Forum of African, Caribbean and Pacific (CARIFORUM) States to the EPA are the independent CARICOM Member States and the Dominican Republic.