Labour Minister Errol McLeod says the Caribbean Community (Caricom) needs to move more aggressively with deepening relations with other developing countries which are working their way out of the global financial crisis. The minister spoke on the issue following a meeting between Caricom labour ministers and Chilean officials in Santiago, Chile, on Monday. He said he was certain that greater collaboration on labour and development issues with countries such as Chile can help shape the region's responses to ongoing economic challenges. The meeting, addressed by Chile's Labour Minister, Camila Merino, was convened at the request of the country's Agency for International Cooperation on the eve of the 17th American Regional Meeting of the International Labour Organisation (ILO).
McLeod told the T&T Guardian the meeting reinforced the need for Caricom to work more cohesively in promoting greater South-South dialogue and action. "I regard the meeting as one that allows us in the Caribbean to benefit from the experiences from countries such as Chile," he said. "We are going to be pursuing the cementing of relations with Chile." McLeod cited Chile's attempts at "reorganising" its economy, particularly in the food and agriculture sectors. This, he said, could provide the Caribbean region with an example to follow. McLeod's Barbados counterpart, Esther Byer-Suckoo, added that the benefits of deeper Caricom-Chile relations were also mutual. She said while Chile had developed strong programmes for preparing the youth for employment and scored high in the area of competitiveness, some Caribbean countries had the ability to assist in the areas of tourism development and in building strong social partnerships.
"We also identified room for Caricom countries to assist one another as well," she said in an interview. Belizean Labour Minister Gabriel Martinez said youth employability posed a singular challenge in his country and he was interested in Chile's successful interventions on this issue. Caricom and Chile established a Joint Commission in 1996. In September, outgoing Secretary-General Edwin Carrington called for the long-awaited convening of the commission. Chile is already growing in importance as a trading partner with Caricom. The Caricom Office of Trade Negotiations reported recently that Caricom enjoyed a merchandise trade surplus with Chile, exporting US$64 million in 2009 to the South American republic while importing US$52 million. This was a reversal of a deficit noted in 2008. McLeod said it was time for the region to move more aggressively to take greater advantage of closer relations with other countries of the South. This, he however stressed, required a more united Caricom approach.
Wesley Gibbings
In Santiago, Chile
