PARTICIPANTS of the just-concluded 4th Caribbean-American Business Expo and Conference in Orlando, Florida are formulating an Action Plan after two days of intensive discussions on strategies to improve and expand trade and investment with the United States. The June 10-12 forum, themed ‘The Caribbean American Relationship in this Era of Change’ and organised by Florida’s Caribbean Sun with sponsorship from a wide range of Caribbean businesses, examined such topics as trade, investment, and social and other issues against the backdrop of the current global recession.

According to a release emanating from the confab, “delegates committed to preparing a follow-up plan to pursue the many recommendations emerging from the conference, and will circulate their report to Caribbean governments, the US administration as well as Caribbean and American business organizations, and the CARICOM Secretariat.”

Among those who spoke at the conference were United States Agency for International Development (USAID) Representative for Barbados and the Eastern Caribbean, Mr James Goggin; Chief-of-Staff of the Office of Orange County Mayor, Mr George Rodon; former US Ambassador, Ms Harriet L Elam Thomas; as well as representatives from the Florida Governor’s Office and the University of the West Indies (UWI).

Goggin, speaking on behalf of Acting Administrator of USAID, Alonzo Fulgham, told the opening ceremony that the US will provide stepped-up financial assistance for education programmes focusing on youth, in an effort to address violence in the Caribbean, which he identified as the number one social problem in the region.

He also highlighted the negative effects of crime on business, tourism and attracting foreign investment.

In addition, Goggin noted that US and Caribbean security officials will be meeting within the next month to start working out the framework for increased cooperation on security.

He also announced that the US administration will be making funds available for small businesses in the region, while Ambassador Thomas advised that the region should adopt a unified approach to the US government, and seek to engage senior officials of the Barack Obama administration.

Participants at the forum also heard from US customs officials who emphasised the need for training in the region in certification, in order to comply with United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) and Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) regulations.

US Shipping officials highlighted the many challenges they face, in terms of screening containers from the Caribbean for drugs and the exorbitant costs involved, and there were also calls for USAID to provide funding for regional organisations such as the Caribbean Development Bank (CDB), in particular its Special Development Fund (SDF), Caribbean Export and the Caribbean Association of Industry and Commerce (CAIC).

Both panelists and participants were harshly critical over the pace of regional integration and the delay in the full implementation of programmes announced by CARICOM leaders, including the Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ) and the CARICOM Single Market and Economy (CSME). The Caribbean Diaspora urged that CARICOM Heads of Government, at their annual meeting in Guyana next month, send a strong signal that they will “put their house in order” to take advantage of the new opportunities presented by the Obama administration.

The Forum identified a number of impediments to doing business in the Caribbean, especially the length of time it takes to gain approval for various permits.

The Trinidad and Tobago-based Caribbean Agricultural Research and Development Institute (CARDI) updated participants on developments to reinvigorate the region’s agricultural sector, and the drive to attract investment for agricultural development, including several new initiatives to grow exports to the US market.

Meanwhile, there were spirited exchanges over the issue of criminal deportees to the Caribbean and its impact on crime in the region, with the Conference calling on the US administration to revisit its policy on notification to regional governments, and to ensure that assistance is available for rehabilitation programmes for deportees.

The Action Plan, to be put together within the next few weeks by a Conference Committee, will include plans to lobby the US administration, including Congress, on the deportees issue.

The Caribbean-American Business Expo and Conference, which commemorated the observance of Caribbean-American Heritage month, is the brainchild of Guyanese-born Wesley Kirton, CEO of Florida Caribbean Enterprises Inc, which publishes Florida’s Caribbean Sun.

Mr Kirton was named Executive Director of the new US-Caribbean Basin Business Resource Network, which will focus on improving business conditions for Small and Medium-sized Businesses (SMEs), and engage in advocacy, among other things.