(CARICOM Secretariat) Great strides have been made in strengthening national capacity in the Caribbean Forum of African, Caribbean and Pacific States (CARIFORUM), regarding the implementation of the Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA) with the European Union (EU). The United Kingdom’s Caribbean Aid for Trade and Regional Integration Trust Fund (CARTFund) has distinguished itself, in this regard, providing much-needed Aid for Trade resources in order to buttress institutional structures with responsibility for coordinating EPA implementation in some of the smallest regional states, all of which face stark capacity constraints. The out-going Director-General of the CARIFORUM Directorate in the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) Secretariat, Mr Ivan Ogando Lora, expressed this view against the backdrop of CARTFund EPA public sector capacity building support projects that are winding down in five regional states.

Grant agreements governing the projects in each of the five states had come on stream at varying points, since 2009. Antigua and Barbuda was the first state in which the capacity building project was rolled out, followed by Grenada.

Project closures have since been set in train for these two states, as part of the first wave of closures, of which St Vincent and the Grenadines is also a part. The second wave is set to take place in relation to Belize and St Kitts and Nevis, in the coming months.

These states have benefitted from CARTFund financial support to their National EPA Implementation Units, each of which is tasked with coordinating the implementation of the complex, far-reaching accord in the given state.