BASSETERRE, St. Kitts – Organization of the American States (OAS) Representative to St. Kitts-Nevis Starrett Greene has described the recent trade discussion held in Jamaica, as one which “points to a close and longstanding collaborative relationship between the World Bank and the OAS”.
He said it is a relationship both organizations intend to strengthen to promote development in the region.
The two-day trade discussion, which began on February 17, brought together top trade officials from across the region to discuss the report jointly produced by the two organizations entitled “Accelerating Trade Integration in the Caribbean: Policy Options for Sustained Growth, Job Creation, and Poverty Reduction and to adopt a concrete action plan for its implementation in the region”.
Greene told SKNVibes that over the last six decades, the OAS has worked in close cooperation with its developmental partners at the sub-regional, regional and hemispheric levels to bring about improvements in the socio-economic development of the peoples of the Americas.
He added that through partnership, the organization has placed much emphasis on fighting poverty and creating opportunities for vulnerable groups to enhance their livelihoods and by extension their standards of living.
“In this connection OAS/World Bank Cooperation spans a number of broad areas to include protection and sustainability of the environment, economic diversification and integration, improving growth and competitiveness, trade integration, social development and the development of alternative and renewable sources of energy, to name a few.
“Although the OAS is primarily a political body, the organization, consistent with its charter, has given due attention to the economic and social needs of its member countries. In addressing these needs, the OAS, in light of its comparative advantage in the provision of technical cooperation, has been able to leverage its in-house expertise and those of its developmental partners, such as the World Bank and the Inter-American Development Bank, to implement programs, projects and activities in member countries, throughout the Hemisphere.
“These partnerships, build on a share vision for the political, economic, social, and cultural development of the peoples of the Americas, have reaped dividends in terms of creating better economic opportunities for the citizens of the region and as a consequence bring more citizens into the economic and social mainstream of society.”
The OAS Representative further stated that development through multilateral cooperation and collaboration has proven to be “an effective strategy” in terms of delivering the benefits of democracy through fighting poverty, achieving greater access to education and health and improving the delivery of basic services to citizens in the Western Hemisphere.
The OAS, established in 1948, has been the region’s principal multilateral forum which brings together the nations of the Western Hemisphere to strengthen democracy, promote human rights, and confront shared problems such as poverty, terrorism, illegal drugs and corruption.
