CARICOM council agrees on plan for human, social development strategy

Stabroek News
October 27, 2002
Related Links: Articles on the Caribbean
Letters Menu Archival Menu
A human and social development strategy and accelerating the free movement of skilled persons were two areas homed in on by a CARICOM council at a meeting in Georgetown this week.

The Council for Human and Social Development (COHSOD) has accepted the proposal put forward by the Futures Policy Group to develop a Human Development Strategy (HDS) based on three core elements - education, health and labour.

At a press briefing on Friday at the end of the Seventh Meeting of COHSOD held at Le Meridien Pegasus Hotel, CARICOM Assistant Secretary General Edward Greene said that the three core elements will be complemented by crime reduction policies and sport and they will cross-cut gender, youth and culture.

Present at the briefing with Greene was current COHSOD Chairman, Suriname Minister of Education and Community Development Walter Sandriman.

The communique issued at the end of the meeting, which Greene used as the basis for the press briefing, said that the scheme for the HSD was based on a proposal from the Futures Policy Group comprising recognised experts attached to the University of the West Indies led by Professor Dennis Benn.

The communique said that the HSD strategy is to consider - the Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States' (OECS) Human Development Report which provides a model since it modifies the United Nations Development Programme human development index; the multi-cultural issues based on a series of activities being coordinated by the Directorate of the HSD including technical and vocational education, early childhood development and language training; the Caribbean HIV/AIDS Training (CHART) Initiative which provides a model for training health and related professionals; and the model developed from the task force on gender which embarked on a project to illustrate how gender can be mainstreamed into the core HSD areas.

The work of the Futures Policy Group is now dependent on funding for the suggested programmes coming out of the recommendations of the working groups at the COHSOD meeting.

Greene said that COHSOD has agreed to put in place a number of language training programmes over the next year or two to increase proficiency as a way of improving human and social development and to make CARICOM member states a lot more competitive.

COHSOD, he said agreed to support the CARICOM Youth Ambassadors programme and approved their priorities for advocacy in the areas of HIV/AIDS, the reduction of crime and the use of illicit drugs, and environmental protection in the 2002 to 2003 period. COHSOD, he said has also pledged to back the development of a better structure for the CARICOM Youth Ambassadors programme to link with national programmes.

Free movement

On the issues of the free movement of skills and a CARICOM passport, Greene said that COHSOD has tasked the CARICOM Secretariat with the responsibility of trying to work out with the appropriate bodies, such as immigration offices, the mechanics of the issuance of a CARICOM passport.

Greene said that accreditation and standardisation are issues that are still to be resolved. He said that some countries have already established national accreditation councils while others like Guyana are either mid-way or have now begun the process.

The meeting agreed that the Secretariat would do an inventory of the requirements to obtain citizenship and economic citizenship in the various member states. Member states are also to provide information on the full operationalisation of the free movement of approved categories and are to start lifting restrictions in accordance with the programme approved by the conference. COHSOD also supported the determination that member states should accept a machine readable ID card for intra-regional travel by July 2003 and that a common Emigration/Departure form should be introduced by all member states by July next year.

On the issue of crime and drug abuse COHSOD accepted the policies in the preliminary report of the Task Force on Crime and Security established by the Conference of Heads of Government. Greene said there was some more work to be done and it is expected that this will be completed in time for presentation to the inter-sessionary meeting of the Heads of Government in February or March next year.

The problem of HIV/AIDS was discussed and the meeting supported the Pan Caribbean Partnership (PANCAP) under the leadership of CARICOM as an appropriate coordinating mechanism.

According to the communique, COHSOD recommended that the CARICOM Secretariat strengthen PANCAP as a platform within the secretariat for the coordination of regional and national contributions; expand the membership of PANCAP and appropriately configure its structure and functions to ensure the widest possible representation and participation of the institutions and peoples of the region; review the existing regional HIV/AIDS project and proposal with a view to including suitable representation from additional institutions; and ensure that subsequent regional HIV/AIDS plans and projects have the widest possible ownership and involvement of the Caribbean.

The COHSOD meeting ended with a presentation on CARIFESTA VIII by a delegation from Suriname headed by Sandriman. Greene said it is expected that the unique nature of the region's cultural heritage will be showcased through full participation of member states of CARICOM and the Association of Caribbean States and other neighbouring countries at CARIFESTA VIII. Sandriman also announced that the next COHSOD meeting will be held in Paramaribo, Suriname in April next year.