Caribbean Court of Justice pact to be signed before year end CARICOM concerned at AIDS toll Stabroek News July 7, 2000 Issues critical to the future development of CARICOM, such as the establishment of the CARICOM Single Market and Economy (CSME), the Caribbean Court of Justice and the escalating HIV/AIDS epidemic were high on the agenda at the recent summit of heads. Matters of governance, border conflicts affecting member states as well as the full participation of civil society in the new economic integration process were also deliberated upon, a communique issued by the CARICOM Secretariat yesterday said. The Twenty-first Meeting of the Conference of Heads of Government of CARICOM was held from July 2-5 on the stunning island of Canouan, St Vincent and the Grenadines. AIDS The conference expressed much concern that AIDS had become the leading cause of death in both males and females in the 25-44 age group in the region, the communique stated. "Recognising that the HIV/AIDS epidemic now threatens to seriously undermine the human resource development efforts, reversing the gains made in social and economic development in the region over the past three decades, heads of government agreed to give full support to the regional strategic plan to mount an expanded response to combat the epidemic," it said. It was agreed that all possible means will be used to secure financial resources for the implementation of the regional strategic plan and to become fully involved in the promotion of preventive strategies at the national and regional levels. Single market The conference confirmed that the basic legal framework for the establishment of the CSME would be in place by the end of this year, noting that nine protocols have been signed by member states, the communique stated. Four protocols are in effect and are being provisionally applied: * Protocol 1 - the organs and institutional arrangements of the community; * Protocol II - establishment, services and capital; * Protocol IV - trade policy; * Protocol VII: disadvantaged countries, regions and sectors. Three protocols require action by one member state to enable them to be provisionally applied and come into effect--Protocol III, industrial policy, Protocol V, agricultural policy; and Protocol VI: transport policy. The other two Protocols were signed at the Inter-Sessional Meeting of the Conference in March but require the declaration of provisional application by member states to enable them to come into effect. These are - Protocol VIII: competition policy, consumer protection, dumping and subsidies; and Protocol IX: disputes settlement. These protocols are currently being integrated into a revised treaty to be completed by the end of December this year. The communique said that with the review of the treaty almost completed, heads of government focused their attention during the twenty-first Meeting on the implementation of the protocols, particularly II and VII. In this regard, the action necessary at the national and regional levels, to give effect to the provisions of the protocols, is being guided by the inter-governmental task force as mandated by the conference. Disadvantaged countries Heads of government, carrying out their first responsibility in accordance with the provisions of Protocol VII, have designated Antigua and Barbuda, Belize, Dominica, Grenada, Montserrat, St Kitts-Nevis, St Lucia and St Vincent as disadvantaged countries identified by Article III of the Treaty of Chaguaramas. Guyana was identified by the international community as a Highly Indebted Poor Country. Protocol VII provides for support to countries, regions and sectors so designated. The communique said the heads deliberated on the agreement establishing the CCJ and determined that the agreement would be signed by all member states before the end of the year. The signing will take place at a special ceremony convened in Port-of-Spain where the headquarters of the court is to be located. The heads also decided that the public education programme relating to the court should be intensified during the periods before and after the signing in order to strengthen the public consensus on the court. A sub-committee was established under the chairmanship of the Prime Minister of St Lucia, Dr Kenny Anthony to supervise the finalisation of the instruments relating to the establishment of the court. They also endorsed a proposal of the Legal Affairs Committee to convene, before August 15, a meeting of presidents of bar and law associations of CARICOM to consider proposals for enhancing the agreement. The heads agreed that the signing of the pact would signal the commencement of the period during which legal and constitutional arrangements would be put in place for ratification and implementation of the agreement. Civil society Recalling its October 1999 decision for a regional encounter with the widest possible participation of civil society, the conference endorsed plans for a confab which will be held under the theme `Forward together'. The encounter will be the first of its kind for the decade and is scheduled to take place in the first quarter of 2001. Participation will include representatives of the private sector, labour institutions, non-governmental organisations including youth, academia, and religious bodies. The points for discussion will be drawn from issues submitted by the public and advertisements will be placed in newspapers and a special web site created to garner the public's views. The communique said a broad-based planning committee for the conference will be established within six weeks with a mandate to determine the format and organisation of the conference, participation and points of discussion, as well as to identify sources to support the convening of the conference. The next Heads of Government summit will be hosted by The Bahamas in July 2001, while Barbados will host the Twelfth Inter-Sessional Meeting of the Conference of Heads of Government in February 2001. Follow the goings-on in Guyana in Guyana Today