Abstract
The chapter gives an overview of regional integration efforts from the time of the West Indies Federation to the Caribbean Free Trade Association and the Caribbean Community (CARICOM). This chapter also examines how the Caribbean Community operates as a regional organization. It provides a general introduction to CARICOM, its purpose, mandate, governance structure, institutions, challenges, and future direction. Finally, the chapter exposes CARICOM’s development challenges and reflects on what emerging trends against regional cooperation could mean for CARICOM-Cuba relations.
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The West Indies Federation comprised ten territories: Antigua and Barbuda, Barbados, Dominica, Grenada, Jamaica, Montserrat, the then St. Kitts-Nevis-Anguilla, St. Lucia, St. Vincent, and Trinidad and Tobago. It was established by the British Caribbean Federation Act of 1956.
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MERCOSUR member states are Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay, Uruguay, and Venezuela. Bolivia is in the process of accession.
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Anguilla, British Virgin Islands, Turks and Caicos Islands, Cayman Islands, and Bermuda (CARICOM org).
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The Bodies are the following: the Budget Committee which examines the draft work programme and budget of the Secretariat and makes recommendations to the Community Council; the Committee of Central Bank Governors which provides recommendations to the Council for Finance and Planning (COFAP) on monetary and financial matters; the Legal Affairs Committee (LAC), which is comprised of Attorneys-General and Ministers of Legal Affairs and replaces the Standing Committee with responsibility for Legal Affairs. The committee’s function is to advise the organs and other bodies of the Community. A new body is being formed—the CARICOM Committee of Ambassadors. Its role is to facilitate the implementation of the Strategic Plan.
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Community Institutions: Caribbean Agricultural Development Institute (CARDI); Caribbean Agricultural Health and Food Safety Agency (CAHFSA); Caribbean Aviation Safety and Security Oversight System (CASSOS); Caribbean Center for Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency (CCREEE); Caribbean Centre for Development Administration (CARICAD); Caribbean Community Climate Change Centre (CCCCC); Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ); Caribbean Disaster Emergency Management Agency (CDEMA); Caribbean Examinations Council (CXC); Caribbean Institute for Meteorology and Hydrology (CIMH); Caribbean Meteorological Organisation (CMO); Caribbean Public Health Agency (CARPHA); Caribbean Regional Fisheries Mechanism (CRFM); Caribbean Telecommunications Union (CTU); CARICOM Competition Commission (CCC); CARICOM Development Fund (CDF); CARICOM Implementing Agency for Crime and Security (IMPACS); and CARICOM Regional Organization for Standards and Quality (CROSQ).
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Associate Institutions: Caribbean Development Bank (CDB); Caribbean Law Institute (CLI)/Caribbean Law Institute Centre (CLIC); University of Guyana (UG); and The University of the West Indies (UWI).
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Functional Cooperation Institutions: Caribbean Export and Investment Agency (Carib-Export); Caribbean Regional Information and Translation Institute (CRITI); Caribbean Tourism Organization (CTO); and Council of Legal Education (CLE).
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CELAC is a valuable mechanism for coordinating the positions of Latin America and the Caribbean on a wide range of global governance issues, and a firm platform from which to speak in multilateral and bilateral fora. For the grouping of very small and developing states of CARICOM, it provides additional visibility and a new forum for interaction with both emerging and traditional global powers. CELAC offers diplomatic opportunities not only for CARICOM but also for those close neighbors like Cuba, and much diplomatic capital has been invested in its success. It also supports the exchange of experiences and the development of procedures to maximize the benefits of cooperation programs.
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The member states of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) are further divided into more developed countries (MDCs) and less developed countries (LDCs). The MDCs are Barbados, Guyana, Jamaica, Suriname, and Trinidad and Tobago. The LDCs are Antigua and Barbuda, Belize, Dominica, Grenada, Montserrat, St. Kitts and Nevis, St. Lucia, and St. Vincent and the Grenadines. Economic agreements involving CARICOM typically make special provisions for the LDCs to ensure that trade liberalization does not place them at a further economic disadvantage (Trade Wins 2006).
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Laguardia Martinez, J., Chami, G., Montoute, A., Mohammed, D.A. (2020). Regional Integration in the Caribbean. In: Changing Cuba-U.S. Relations. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-20366-5_3
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