BASSETERRE, St. Kitts - IN his inaugural address at the CARICOM Heads of Government Meeting as Prime Minister of St. Kitts and Nevis, Dr. Terrance Drew has called for more attention to be paid on the issues affecting the Caribbean Community in a changing global environment.
Speaking last evening (Feb. 15) in Nassau, Bahamas, Dr. Drew reminded regional leaders that the Community stands at the crossroads, where attention must be placed on the challenges facing the region in a volatile global environment
In a near 20-minute speech, Dr. Drew highlighted the vulnerability to external economic shocks, heavy dependence on a few products or services, frequent and more intense natural disasters, high cost associated with debt and climate change adaptation and mitigation, economic recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic, disruption in supply chains and steady increases in the cost of imports and production exacerbated by the ongoing war in Ukraine, and limited access to grants and concessional financing mechanisms to enable recovery from external economic and environmental shocks, as the major issues currently impacting the region.
Those issues have resulted in the region playing catch-up with the rest of the world, and the Prime Minister reminded that “CARICOM has remained an effective forum for its members to carve out a space for dialogue in the international community to seriously address the structural challenges we face as Small Island Developing States”.
“We strongly believe that greater consideration should be given to the Multi-dimensional Vulnerability Index as a more holistic metric for addressing the complex issues I highlighted earlier. The MVI Matrix is more closely aligned with the ever-present dangers we face on an annual basis, having to endure the ravages of natural disasters including hurricanes, drought, volcanic eruptions and rising sea levels,” Dr. Drew said.
Dr. Drew lamented the challenge the member states face when they are assessed by the high GDP, which he noted “does not adequately consider our vulnerability to economic and climate-related shocks”.
Speaking to the Caribbean Single Market and Economy (CSME), the Prime Minister committed the Federation to “strengthening” the programme, noting that “we believe in the free movement of skills, services, goods, capital and all the other key elements of the CSME. We view the region as a single space for the people of our region to live, engage in robust economic activity and advance the economic, social and cultural prospects of our region”.
As the CSME comes into focus during the regional engagement, Dr. Drew reminded regional leaders that as they focus on that topic, it could not be successful without addressing the challenges associated with intra-regional travel.
Dr. Drew described the challenges of travelling to the Bahamas, highlighting that many delegations travelled through the United States with an overnight stay.
“It is difficult for us to extoll the virtues of the CSME without addressing the proverbial ‘elephant in the room’ – intra-regional transport. The reality is that it is too difficult and too costly for the people of the region to move and enjoy the benefits of true integration within the single space which has been created for them to do so at optimal levels,” Dr. Drew said.
“Coming to this meeting in the beautiful Bahamas is an example of a disconnect between our countries. A number of delegations had to transit through Miami, and perhaps overnight there, before flying to our sister CARICOM-member destination. It should take less than 24 hours to move from country to country within our region.
“Compared to developed countries with highly developed transport means and modalities, the Caribbean remains at a disadvantage in realizing the benefits of the CSME that the framers of the CARICOM Treaty envisaged. Moving from New York to Washington DC takes a mere four hours by car and less than two hours by aircraft. The contrast is a stark reality of the challenge we face on an ongoing basis,” Dr. Drew explained.
The issue of intra-regional travel is not one that is seemingly on the radar for a speedy resolution, since media reports across the region have indicated that the leaders did not agree to immediately invest in LIAT 2020.
However, the Caribbean Development Bank (CDB) is currently undertaking a consultancy on intra-regional travel with the view of submitting a report on its findings to regional heads before the end of the year.
The 44th CARICOM Heads of Government Intersessional Meeting got underway last evening and wraps tomorrow (Feb. 17).
