Subregional Headquarters for the Caribbean

The Caribbean Development and Cooperation Committee (CDCC)

At the sixteenth session of ECLA in 1975, the Caribbean Development and Cooperation Committee (CDCC) was created as a permanent subsidiary body to function within the structure of the Commission and promote development cooperation among Caribbean countries by Resolution E/CEPAL/989/Rev.1

The objectives of CDCC are:

To promote and strengthen economic and social cooperation and integration among the countries of the Caribbean and with Latin America

To promote the sharing of information and experiences among its membership

To promote common positions and strategies on economic and social issues among Caribbean nations, and on their relations with third countries, and to present those positions to international forums and agencies

The Member Countries of CDCC are: Antigua and Barbuda, The Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Cuba, Dominica, Dominican Republic, Grenada, Guyana, Haiti, Jamaica, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Suriname, and Trinidad and Tobago.

The Associate Members of CDCC are: Anguilla, Aruba, British Virgin Islands, Cayman Islands, Montserrat, Puerto Rico, Turks and Caicos Islands, and United States Virgin Islands.

The structure of CDCC comprises the following:

The Session of Ministers

The Monitoring Committee

Such other subsidiary organs as may be established by the Session of Ministers.

Regular sessions of ministers are held every two years and are preceded by a meeting of the Monitoring Committee at the same venue. The sessions are convened on dates that facilitate the transmission of relevant reports and decisions to the biennial sessions of ECLAC. The regular meetings of the Monitoring Committee are held annually.

Our Office cooperates with other intergovernmental bodies in the Caribbean, including the Caribbean Development Bank (CDB), the Caribbean Community (CARICOM), the Organization of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS) and the Association of Caribbean States (ACS).

Regional Coordinating Mechanism for Sustainable Development

In 2006, CDCC Member Countries set up a Regional Coordinating Mechanism (RCM) for sustainable development activities in the Caribbean.

The mechanism is formally known as the RCM: the Regional Coordinating Mechanism for the Implementation of the Mauritius Strategy for the Further Implementation of the Programme of Action for the Sustainable Development of Small Island Developing States (MSI).

Purpose of the RCM

The RCM is focused on sustainable development in the Caribbean member states. Its objectives are:

To ensure the achievement of effective coordination of sustainable development initiatives in the Caribbean region with a view to enhancing coherence, complementarity and consistency of activities;

To facilitate the implementation of Agenda 21, the Johannesburg Programme of Implementation (JPOI), the Barbados Programme of Action (BPOA) and the Mauritius Strategy for the Further Implementation of the Programme of Action for the Sustainable Development of Small Island Developing States (MSI) through the coordination and rationalization of all required technical and other inputs towards these ends

To optimize the benefits from the use of available human, financial and other resources for the achievement of sustainable development goals in the Caribbean

To assist in the mobilization of new and additional resources, including the use of south-south collaboration, for achievement of sustainable development ;

To promote awareness at all levels of sustainable development issues and activities;

Functions of the RCM

Supporting, reinforcing and assisting sustainable development initiatives at the national and regional levels:

Assisting in the development, monitoring and coordination of a regional work programme and evaluating its satisfactory delivery to member countries;

Facilitating the exchange of best practices, information sharing, transfer of experiences, knowledge-based technology and techniques among Caribbean SIDS and countries of the Greater Caribbean;

Liaising with SIDS in other regions in promoting joint positions in international forums;

Assisting in the promotion of capacity-building efforts and strengthening of the human resource base through training and education;

Contributing to the identification of development partners and sources of funding for development activities;

Providing technical advisory and policy services to member countries in support of their sustainable development efforts;

Facilitating technical assistance to member countries;

Building and maintaining institutional memory on sustainable development activities in the Caribbean subregion;

Establishing a regional database on sustainable development activities;

Promoting, strengthening and establishing cooperative arrangements and partnerships among relevant government agencies, CBOs and NGOs, the private sector, and other stakeholders; and

Supporting, reinforcing and assisting sustainable development initiatives at the local, national and regional levels.

Structure of the RCM

The structure of the RCM was developed in a manner such that no new institutions or bodies would be created and the smallest possible deployment of additional resources to carry out its functions would be needed. The RCM is therefore composed of:

The RCM Secretariat, which is housed within the Sustainable Development Unit at the ECLAC Subregional Headquarters for the Caribbean. It is supported by existing secretarial services of CARICOM and an agreed division of labour with related division/allocation of human and financial resources.

The Inter-Governmental Council (IGC) is comprised of members of the Caribbean Development Cooperation Committee (CDCC) and provides Ministerial approval and oversight of the RCM. The IGC is the highest decision-making body of the RCM.

The Technical Advisory Committee (TAC) oversees the coordination and monitoring of the implementation of the MSI within the Caribbean. It is multidisciplinary and multisectoral in its approach. It is comprised of 15 representatives of governments, regional organizations, civil society and development partners. The rotation of members coincides with the thematic issues under consideration and expertise required. advises the IGC on roles, responsibilities and functions; reviews the development of work programmes; identifies gaps in sustainable development policies; and coordinates public education and awareness.

The National Focal Point Coordination Mechanism (NFCM) is the institution that forms the point of contact between the IGC and the TAC. It is established within existing national institutional arrangements to avoid the need to locate additional resources. The effectiveness of the RCM is dependent on activities at the national level, so the coordination that this mechanism provides is critical.

Caribbean Regional Report for the Five-Year Review of the Mauritius Strategy for the Further Implementation of the Barbados Programme of Action for the Sustainable Development of Small Island Developing States (MSI+5)


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ECLAC Subregional Headquarters for the Caribbean 1 Chancery Lane, P.O. Box 1113 Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago, West Indies Telephone: (868)224-8000 . Facsimile: (868)623-8485 Email: registryeclacpos.org . Website: http://www.eclac.org/portofspain/