SENIOR trade officials from the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) have finalised preparations for the 59th Ministerial Meeting of the Council for Trade and Economic Development (COTED), scheduled to take place November 27-28 in Georgetown, Guyana.

COTED, a key decision-making body within CARICOM, focuses on promoting the production, quality control, and marketing of industrial and agricultural commodities across the region. It also oversees the operations of the CARICOM Single Market and Economy (CSME), supporting integration efforts for regional economic development.

The officials met virtually on November 7-8 to review regional and external trade issues for the COTED agenda. Ambassador Wayne McCook, Assistant Secretary-General for the CARICOM Single Market and Trade, highlighted the importance of the meeting, urging officials to address major trade matters and finalise actionable recommendations. Among the issues discussed were the Community’s main trade instruments, specifically the Common External Tariff (CET) and the Rules of Origin.

Barbara Williams, Deputy National Authorising Officer and Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA) Implementation Coordinator for Antigua and Barbuda, chaired the meeting. She emphasised the priority areas related to the CSME, including policies on free movement for CARICOM nationals, a draft policy on mergers and acquisitions regulation, and progress on the Community Intellectual Property Framework.

External trade relations were also a focus, with discussions on CARICOM’s multilateral interests and updates from the upcoming Thirteenth World Trade Organization (WTO) Ministerial Conference. Additionally, officials examined the CARICOM-Colombia Trade Agreement to secure further preferential market access.

The Ministerial Meeting will be chaired by Hon. Everly Paul Chet Greene, Antigua and Barbuda’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Trade, and Barbuda Affairs. The outcomes are anticipated to impact trade and economic growth across the CARICOM region significantly, aligning with the organisation’s broader goals for regional integration and development.