Current Projects

Pproject: Private Sector Preparation for the Free Trade Area of the Americas
Agency/Counterpart: Key private sector associations and representatives from the region

C-TRADECOM most recently completed the third portion of the Private Sector Preparation for the Free Trade Area of the Americas (FTAA) Program. Caribbean private sector leaders gathered in Grenada on January 16 to assess negotiations in the FTAA, the World Trade Organization (WTO) as well as implementation of the CARICOM Single Market and Economy (CSME) . Participants considered the confluence of trade arrangements in the region and means of collaborating to engage trade negotiators in 2004. They discussed constraints to corporate growth and competitiveness with an emphasis on access to capital and broadband buildout. Private sector leaders noted the importance of coalescing virtually to provide private sector priorities to ongoing negotiations using as a catalyst the key 2004 trade dates of the FTAA, WTO, the OECS Authority, and CARICOM's Council for Trade and Economic Development (COTED). C-TRADECOM will continue to support private sector initiatives to engage actively in negotiations.

Overview

C-TRADECOM supported private sector entities including OECS Chambers of Commerce, and others from around the region in their preparation for the FTAA Ministerial under the auspices of the Caribbean Association of Industry and Commerce in conjunction with the Barbados Private Sector Trade Team and The Briefing Room.

Deepening knowledge of trade policy

These private sector entities deepened their knowledge of trade policy issues and how they affect private sector firms. C-TRADECOM assisted them in their preparations for the private sector gathering that preceded the FTAA Ministerial known as the "Americas Business Forum (ABF)." This program built on USAID ABF assistance provided in 2000, 2001 and 2002 to strengthen private sector understanding and engagement in the FTAA. It provided a facilitator to:

• introduce them to the issues under discussion at the FTAA;
• help them assess private sector positions from the hemisphere;
• establish relationships and networks with other private sector entities from in and outside CARICOM.

The Program supported the participation of a delegation of OECS business persons in a series of meetings including a pre-ABF preparatory meeting on November 7 in Kingston, Jamaica, the Miami ABF from November 17 to 19 and a post-ABF meeting in Grenada on January 16, 2004.