A united Caribbean is a stronger Caribbean. That was the message from the Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS) as it welcomed Guadeloupe to its ranks last month. The French island brings the number of participating states (including protocol members, associated members, and observer states) to 12, and comes five years after the accession of fellow Francophone island Martinique.
For Guadeloupe, an overseas region of France, accession into the OECS marks recognition of its Caribbean status, culture and identity as well as numerous opportunities for economic and social co-operation. For Saint Lucia and other founding OECS members, it means strength in numbers — a more united and integrated Eastern Caribbean that has the potential to elevate individual states through greater collaboration in areas such as trade, education, sport, health and transportation.
Regional relationships
“If you look at the history of regional integration, one of the biggest ironies in the Anglophone Caribbean is that we were more united when we were British subjects than when we are independent subjects in control of our own destiny.” Speaking at a town hall meeting in Guadeloupe last month, OECS Director General Dr Didacus Jules highlighted the importance of overcoming the Caribbean’s divisive history and moving forward as a fully integrated region. “Now that we are independent and talking about shaping our own destiny together, we have to dismantle all of the limitations and barriers of the state in order to provide that freedom of movement, people, goods, services and ideas,” he said. Guadeloupe is joining the OECS as an associate member but, according to Article 27 of the revised Treaty of Basseterre, this does not bar it from transitioning into full membership in the future. According to Dr Jules, the French territory’s quasi-permanent status is actually an advantage as it allows for a more grassroots-driven integration. “Associate membership does not mean a lesser form of integration. In fact, associate membership is the window that provides us with a unique opportunity to make regional integration really fire. It provides an opportunity for us to do things at the level of people-to-people and communities; it does not rely on any dismantling of the bureaucratic apparatus of state. We who are charged with the responsibility for moving this forward must have the humility to listen and take lessons from the people.”
Emphasising the importance of “people-centred initiatives” and how regional integration should be driven by communities rather than the cumbersome machinery of state, Dr Jules called on all sectors of society to get involved, saying: “The Caribbean is our home, our house. We cannot be locked in a French room and an English room and a Lucian room and a Grenadian room. We need the support of all sectors of Caribbean and OECS society. If you play your part, we’ll play our part.”
Work to do
The ink may be dry on Guadeloupe’s signing-in ceremony but its accession is only the first step in a long journey, according to Dr Jules who told delegates at the ceremony: “As with any relationship, the value that is derived from Guadeloupe’s associate membership will depend on the amount of work that is put into making the relationship work. Both Guadeloupe and the OECS have an incredible amount of work to do. Today is only the beginning of something in whose ultimate possibilities we can only discern a truly ascendant Caribbean civilization.”
As an overseas French territory, there are certain limits to the depth of Guadeloupe’s regional relations. For instance, the country is not a signatory to the OECS’ economic protocol. In common with other European states, Guadeloupe’s currency is the Euro and there are no immediate plans for the island to adopt the EC dollar. “Its triple allegiance to the Caribbean, France and Europe must be approached pragmatically since this offers Guadeloupe substantive development opportunities and enhances the contribution it seeks to make to the OECS,” said President of the Regional Council of Guadeloupe, Ary Chalus.
In the negotiations surrounding Guadeloupe’s accession several areas were identified as “ideal for functional co-operation”. These include integrated tourism development and marketing, health sector reform, education reform, trade and investment, agricultural development, technology transfer, sports and cultural development, regional air and sea transport and environmental management. “These are the opportunities for us to make a difference in the lives of our people,” said Dr Jules. “These are not hypothetical issues; these are real concerns, real opportunities.”
The OECS is particularly keen to set up a network of centres of excellence across the archipelago with islands investing in building expertise in areas such as sport, health and technology.
Another matter of “supreme importance” on the agenda, according to OECS Chairman and Prime Minister of St Vincent and The Grenadines, Dr Ralph Gonsalves, is transportation. Dr Gonsalves told stakeholders in Guadeloupe: “You need efficient air transportation in these islands. Similarly, to get a system of marine transport. A lot of people talk about fast ferries but it is not easy so we have to talk. That is a work in progress. We have to get it right.”
He also raised the issue of climate change, as Guadeloupe hopes to join forces with its Eastern Caribbean neighbours to protect its environment and explore growth in its blue economy. “Climate change is an urgent matter, an economic matter, a matter of livelihoods. We can’t think about economy and production unless we mainstream climate change issues as part of planning and implementation.”
Guadeloupe faces many of the same challenges as its Eastern Caribbean neighbours: worsening natural disasters, energy issues, economic imbalances. The country and the OECS now hope that a united front will bring about innovative solutions to common problems. Dr Gonsalves said: “We are in the process of moving from a shared experience to a conscious expression of our Caribbean reality. Without enhanced people-to-people contact and an embrace in the spheres of the economy, society, culture and polity, our progress would be stunted. The governments and our people must make it work for their benefit and development.”
