TOMORROW, we will celebrate Caricom Day, a time when we congratulate ourselves that the concept of Caribbean unity and a desire for greater economic cooperation among the Caribbean territories are still as strong as when they were first conceived.

The struggle between local provincialisms and the movement towards integration and unity has always been an accepted part of Caribbean life, but everyone knows that at the end of the day, unity will always prevail.

The Caribbean was the first part of the New World of the Americas which the Old World of Europe of the 15th Century discovered, and which was settled and colonised.
Colonisation was responsible for African slavery and indentures from various parts of the world, and the introduction of plantation agriculture.

This historic experience molded Caribbean people into a people with similar cultural norms; the same economic and social aspirations, and even the same thought process.
In the 19th Century Caribbean people began to discover how much alike they are, and in the 20th Century, when the colonial powers were withdrawing and the colonies were being granted Independence, there arose a positive desire for Caribbean integration.

In the Anglophone Caribbean, the British Colonial Office felt it was easier and cheaper to administer one Federal Unit than several small islands, and they accordingly opted to establish a Federation of the West Indies.
The Caribbean political and intellectual classes, on their part, saw the Federation as an opportunity for unity.

The West Indies Federation was established in 1958 with the objective of improving social and economic conditions, and for political union leading to Independence.  All the British territories, except the then British Guiana and Belize, had joined the Federation.
The Federation was, however, short-lived, since Jamaican local nationalism vigorously resurfaced, and Jamaica withdrew from the Federation in 1962.  Shortly after, Trinidad and Tobago withdrew, and the Federation collapsed.

Despite the collapse of the Federation, the sentiment and desire for unity among the Caribbean people remained strong, and in 1968, all the main Caribbean territories, including Belize, Guyana and Jamaica who had been lukewarm to the Federation, now established the Caribbean Free Trade Association (CARIFTA).

The objective of CARIFTA was to encourage balanced development by increasing, diversifying and liberalising trade, and ensuring fair competition.
CARIFTA did not die as the Federation had done.  CARIFTA evolved into the Caribbean Community and Common Market (CARICOM).  The members of CARIFTA felt that they needed greater economic integration as well as functional cooperation.

The treaty establishing CARICOM was the Treaty of Chagaramas, signed on July 4, 1973.
The objectives of CARICOM are:

* To strengthen, coordinate and regulate economic and trade relations among member states and to stimulate their harmonious and balanced development;

*to promote continued expansion and integration of economic activities and to share equitably the benefits arising from such activities, paying particular attention of the need to provide special opportunities for the Less Developed Countries (LDCs); and

*to work towards achieving a greater measure of economic independence and effectiveness of member states in their dealings with other states and group of states.
The economic integration through the Common Market has been quite impressive; and these include: The development of a common policy on foreign investment; the harmonisation of fiscal incentives to industry; and the formation of a Regional Stock Exchange, as well as a multilateral clearing facility (CMCF).

It also saw the establishment of the Caribbean Food Corporation (CFC); the Caribbean Research and Development Institute (CARDI); the Regional Food and Nutrition Strategy (RFNS); the CARICOM Fisheries Resource Assessment and Management Programe (CFRAMP); the Caribbean Regional Fisheries Mechanism (CRFM);  and the Caribbean Tourism Organisation (CTO).

Functional cooperation under the aegis of CARICOM covers the gamut of social, educational and cultural activity. These include the establishment of the Caribbean Examinations Council (CXC); the University of the West Indies (UWI); the Caribbean Epidemiology Centre (CAREC); the Caribbean Food and Nutrition Institute (CFNI); the Caribbean Disaster Emergency Response Agency (CDERA); the Caribbean Meteorological Organisation (CMO); the Caribbean Festival of the Arts (CARIFESTA); the Caribbean Federation of Youth (CFY); and the Caribbean Telecommunications Union (CTU).

The Heads of Government, at their meeting in Grand Anse in 1989, decided to appoint a Commission to make recommendations for moving CARICOM forward.  The West Indian Commission, also known as the Ramphal Commission since Sir Shridat Ramphal chaired it, is a catalytic document.

Another important decision of this meeting was to establish the Caribbean Single Market and Economy (CSME), which was designed to deepen the Integration Movement.
Elements of the CSME include: Free movement of goods and services; the right to establish any CARICOM-owned business in any other member state; the free movement of capital; the free movement of labour and a number of other such important prescriptions.
CARICOM States are only gradually effectuating CSME. The Integration Movement has been firmly established, and could only grow stronger with the effluxion of time.