I want to be somewhat provocative; and to suggest that we treat this gathering as political meeting. Not of the kind to seek votes for election to office; but for political consensus-building, strategising, and networking among civil society organisations; on how best to impact regional and national political decision-making. In particular, may I suggest that our aim should be no less than to restore a sense of direction, and of vitality, to the regional integration moment.

The multiple crises of CARICOM

It is well known, and a subject of frequent public commentary, that the Caribbean Community is suffering from a major crisis, or more accurately, a multiple crisis—a crisis of implementation, of credibility and--dare I say--of legitimacy. To all intents and purposes there has been no progress in implementing the CSME since the Single Market was inaugurated with much fanfare in 2006. What is more, the governments have backed off, or are backing off, commitments that they made with regard to implementation in key areas ; such as freedom of movement; and the scheduled completion of the Single Economy.

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Prepared for delivery at the Caricom Regional Civil Society Consultation, Port-Of-Spain, Trinidad And Tobago, 10-11 February 2011.