Good Morning,
Honorable Audley Shaw, Minister of Finance and Public Service,
Dr. Miguel Rodriguez Mendoza, Senior Fellow at the International Centre for Trade and Sustainable Development,
Dame Billie Miller,
Mrs. Valentine Rugwabiza, Deputy Director General, WTO
Ambassador Richard Bernal, Director General, CRNM
Permanent Secretaries,
Dr Joan Neil, OAS Representative in Jamaica,
Mrs. Pamela Coke-Hamilton, Director of the Department for Trade, Tourism and Competiveness of the Organization of American States,
Members of the Diplomatic Corps,
Representatives from international and regional organizations,
Colleagues from the OAS,
Participants,
Specially Invited Guests,
Members of the Media,
Ladies and Gentlemen,


It is indeed a pleasure for me to be here with you today at this conference to share some of the perspectives and initiatives of the Organization of American States related to “Aid for Trade” - an issue that we all have come to recognize as important for the current and future development of the Caribbean region.

When I was first asked to address this gathering, one of the first questions that came to mind is what constitutes aid for trade? While there may be differing definitions of aid for trade, it is widely accepted that the concept of aid for trade became institutionalized in tandem with the negotiations of the Doha Development Rounds. This concept recognizes the fact that as countries liberalize their markets, sometimes painful adjustment costs are incurred as resources migrate between and among sectors. In our view human resource development and technical cooperation need to be central components of bilateral and multilateral trade agreements. It involves addressing a range of public policy and private sector development approaches such as:

• Trade policy reforms to create an enabling environment for business and help countries better participate in the multilateral trading system;

• Private sector initiatives to assist entrepreneurs and established businesses to develop and strengthen the tools and techniques to be competitive; and

• Infrastructure development to create the basic logistics, transportation and telecommunications networks that can facilitate trade, economic growth as well as short- and long-term development.

In short, as the World Trade Organization has noted, Aid for Trade comprises aid that finances trade-related technical assistance, trade-related infrastructure and aid to develop productive capacity.

These objectives become even more critical if we take into account the current challenges many countries, especially the vulnerable economies in the Caribbean, face in terms of food and energy security, which are causing many to take short term relief measures through subsidies, tax exemptions, etc., but in the end can only be resolved through structural revitalization of the agricultural sector and the development of alternative energy sources.

The OAS has been proactive in providing focused support for Caribbean member states and has, either on its own or with other institutional donors, engaged in a wide range of activities to foster growth and development, and provide technical and training assistance to governments as well as micro, small and medium sized enterprises. The rationale for this approach has been the understanding that democracy, integral development and multidimensional security cannot be divorced, from each other as they are mutually reinforcing and need to be addressed simultaneously and holistically to create an environment for peace, stability and prosperity in society and the Westerm Hemisphere as a whole.

An example of this type of targeted engagement is the Masters in International Trade Policy that is offered at the University of the West Indies, Cave Hill Campus. The program was designed to respond to the shortage of human capacity for negotiating trade agreements and seeks to strengthen public and private sector capacity in trade policy formulation and implementation. The success of this program has, in turn, led to the development of the shorter Certificate Course in International Trade Policy that is specifically designed for the regional private sector and provides an opportunity for greater participation of individuals from the region.

Building human resource capacity –and maybe I should add keeping this capacity in the region- is one of the most critical challenges for the Caribbean.

We, at the OAS, will continue to make every effort to accompany and support the Caribbean in developing critical human infrastructure to support its short, medium and long-term development goals. To that end, we will continue to provide technical support and training in the areas of market access, rules of origin, port security and other critical areas of business and trade facilitation as those needs are identified.

One of the difficulties faced by many CARICOM countries, particularly for policy planning, is the lack of timely and readily accessible trade data. The OAS has again played a key role in seeking to alleviate this challenge. Together with the Caribbean Regional Negotiating Machinery, the OAS is supporting the development of a regional trade statistics database, which can be accessed by government authorities, policy experts, researchers and business leaders. The availability of accurate and timely trade data is vital for policymakers and business leaders in order to have the best information that can inform the negotiation of trade agreements and facilitate business deals and provide the requisite tools to optimize international trade opportunities.

At the sectoral level, and in assisting Caribbean economies to become more competitive, the OAS has placed special emphasis on the tourism sector. In an increasingly liberalized environment, most Caribbean economies have shifted away from the traditional mono-crop economy based on sugar or banana production and instead now focus on tourism as a prime generator of income and employment.

Indeed, the World Travel and Tourism Council has noted that CARICOM countries are the most tourist dependent in the world. Given the importance of the tourism industry to the region, the OAS has partnered with the American Hotel and Lodging Educational Institute, to provide internationally recognized training in hospitality. To date, over 500 persons have completed the hospitality training program at managerial and staff levels.

The OAS is also actively assisting small hotels in marketing themselves online through the Caribbean Experiences Technology Solutions Project and is working with countries to reduce the impact and accelerate recovery from natural and man-made disasters that could affect tourism infrastructure through the CARICOM Tourism Infrastructure Disaster Preparedness Project.

Recognizing that one of the reasons for the existing asymmetry in trade between countries is the asymmetry in the human resource endowment of countries, the OAS has under consideration a proposal to develop a Technical Cooperation Program in Sustainable Development for the Caribbean, through which Governments would be able to receive expertise and technical assistance.

Aid for Trade is only one part of the equation in addressing the range of socio-economic challenges that confront Caribbean countries. However, it is an important element in helping to empower economic actors to reap the full benefits of globalization.

The establishment of Regional Aid-for-Trade Networks – comprised of key stakeholders such as regional development banks, multilateral institutions and donors - to assist countries and sub-regional entities in identifying priorities, drawing up plans and mobilizing resources, is central to achieving trade aid objectives.

I believe that an approach to aid which focuses on results, emphasizes transparency and accountability, that takes advantage of partnership opportunities, and capitalizes on competitive niches is best suited for achieving a desired level of effectiveness and efficiency.

Further, aid must be aligned with the trade priorities set by developing countries and conform with those countries’ national development plans. Additionally, and this might seem self evident, funds-and I mean new money-made available by donors should be sufficient to achieve identified objectives, they should be predictable and timely, and most importantly should utilize user-friendly disbursement mechanisms. For the partnership between donors and recipients of trade aid to function optimally, the aid provided cannot be divorced from the realities on the ground.

It is in this light that the OAS in conjunction with the International Centre for Trade and Sustainable Development (ICTSD) decided to host this symposium to bring together donors as well as beneficiaries. In so doing, we hope to assist Caribbean countries as a collectivity of nations in developing a roadmap for trade assistance that reflects their unique needs.

This symposium provides an excellent opportunity to continue the dialogue on these matters and to develop ways forward, in the understanding that “aid for trade” is, given the existing inter-dependencies in a globalized world, not only in the interest of developing countries but also serves the interest of the developed countries and international financial institutions.

I can assure you that the OAS will continue to assist countries in developing programs that incorporate an action and result oriented approach to facilitate activities and projects that fall under the broad banner of aid for trade. We look forward to continuing to work with our Caribbean partners as well as regional and international organizations to further develop a regional strategy that optimizes trade aid, develops new partnerships and seeks to strengthen the development agenda and priorities of the Caribbean.

I thank you for your participation and attention.