Basseterre, St. Kitts - St. Kitts and Nevis will officially launch Public Consultations on the Draft OECS Economic Union Treaty on Monday 28th September, 2009 at 6 p.m. at the Sir Cecil Jacobs Auditorium, ECCB.

The Honourable Prime Minister, Dr. Denzil Douglas, OECS Director General, Dr. Len Ishmael and Chairman of the Task Force on OECS Economic Union, ECCB Governor, Sir K. Dwight Venner will address the gathering. 

This event, a harbinger to the Federation’s public awareness programme, will seek “to provide relevant and up to date information to OECS nationals on the Economic Union and secure their endorsement and full participation in the integration process”. 

OECS Member States have agreed to pursue by year end, an Economic Union, which hails Economic Transformation, Growth, Employment, Poverty Reduction, and Maintaining and Improving the Human Development Indices as its major goals.

The dialogue about the Economic Union could not be more timely especially as the Federation and the wider OECS are now confronted by various international, regional and domestic challenges.  Globalization, trade liberalisation, the financial and economic crises have negatively impacted the economies of the OECS. We are at a very crucial juncture in the development of our countries and the OECS Economic Union has been identified as vital to future growth. 

In a recent statement the Honourable Prime Minister, Dr Denzil Douglas claimed, that “there is no doubt that the undertakings surmised by the establishment of Economic Union is essential for [our] continued prosperity, advancement and....viability”.

The OECS Member States are Antigua and Barbuda, Dominica, Grenada, Montserrat, St. Kitts and Nevis, St. Lucia, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, Anguilla and the British Virgin Islands.

Visit cuopm.com or mofa.gov.kn to view the full text of the Draft OECS Economic Union Treaty to familiarize yourself with the pertinent issues.