REGIONAL INTEGRATION

Group members:Kerrian Morgan Stacey-Ann MorrisonSashaine MillsGayon Spence – FrazerNateenia Roye

WHAT IS REGIONAL INTEGRATION?

This refers to the coming together of a number of nation states to form a single unit in which member states cooperate functionally, economically and politically with the aim of producing benefits for each country within the region and the regions as a unit.

Example of Regional Integration

• One example of regional integration is the Organization of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS) member states who has the longest and most sustained engagement with regional integration.

• Another is the African Economic Community.

Picture showing different countries of different regional integration

Why regional integration?

• To overcome challenges facing regions• To address consequences of unequal

distribution of resources• To aid in the development of human resources• To provide improved education • To assist economic development through the

development of policies that assist businesses

Challenges and opportunities of regional

integration• Challenges • Geography of the region • Unequal distribution of

resources• Intraregional competition• Absence of common currency• Different stages of growth

and strategies for development

• Influence of multi-national agencies

• Opportunities • Common history- slavery,

colonization, descendants of migrants

• Common cultural heritage • Common economic and

social issues• Globalization, trade,

liberalization and trading blocs.

• Economics shocks and natural disasters

Benefits of regional integration

• Increased cooperation • Free movement of goods, labour and capital• Increased employment opportunities • Improved quality of life• Greater equality of wealth distribution • Expansion of trade and increased international

competitiveness

Stages of regional integration

West Indies Federation This was the first major initiative

towards regionalism to create political union between member sates and to establish federal institution.

MEMBER STATES

• Antigua and Barbuda

• Barbados,• Dominica• Grenada• Jamaica

• Montserrat• The then St

Kitts-Nevis-Anguilla

• Saint Lucia• St Vincent • Trinidad and

Tobago

OPPORTUNITIES

FORMATION OF FERERAL ORGANIZATIONS• the federal civil service; • the West Indies Shipping Service (in 1962),• the Federal Maple and the Federal Palm -

donated by the Government of Canada. Negotiations to acquire the subsidiary of the

British Overseas Airways Corporation (BOAC), namely British West Indies Airways (BWIA)

Cooperation in tertiary education

CHALLENGES

• the governance and administrative structures imposed by the British

• disagreements among the territories over policies, particularly with respect to taxation and central planning;

• an unwillingness on the part of most Territorial Governments to give up power to the Federal Government;

• the location of the Federal Capital.

• Disputes over movement of people from one country to another.

• Insufficient budget • Lack of support for the federation from the majority of the

Caribbean people• Disagreement among federal leaders• Jamaica and Trinidad and Tobago felt disillusion by the idea

of the federation and were interest in full independence• the common ‘ Caribbean people’ was not fully developed

as each territory had its own identity.

THE FORMATION OF THE CARIBBEAN FREE TRADE ASSOCIATION (CARIFTA)

• 1965 there was another attempt to gain regional development with the formation of The Caribbean Free Trade Association (CARIFTA).

• Antigua• Barbuda• Barbados• Guyana• Trinidad &

Tobago• Dominica• Grenada • St Kitts-Nevis-

Anguilla,

• Saint Lucia• St Vincent and

the Grenadines; • Montserrat • Jamaica.• Belize• British Honduras

MEMBER STATES

CARIFTA was established with the intent to unite their economies and to give them a joint presence on the international scene and to encourage balanced development of the Region.

OPPORTUNITIES

• To unite the economy of Caribbean countries• to give the Caribbean a joint

presence on the international scene and • to encourage balanced development

within the Region

• • increasing trade - buying and selling more goods among the Member States

• • diversifying trade - expanding the variety of goods and services available for trade

• • liberalizing trade - removing tariffs and quotas on goods produced and traded within the area

• • ensuring fair competition - setting up rules for all members to follow to protect the smaller enterprises

Challenges

• Unemployment rates and poverty• Leadership issues

THE BIRTH OF CARICOM

• In 1973, CARIFTA became the Caribbean Community (CARICOM).

• CARICOM was established on July 5, 1973 with the signing of the Treaty at Chaguaramas.

• It was built on the trials and errors of previous unification efforts, beginning with the ambitious West Indies Federation (1958-62), which sought political and economic unification. CARICOM began as two linked concepts: the Caribbean Community and the Common Market.

GOALS OF CARICOM & CSME• 1) economic integration• 2) coordination of foreign policies • 3) functional cooperation (banding

together to share resources in health, education, environment, science, technology, transportation, and other disciplines)

BenefitsMeteorology

• Meteorology the establishment of the Caribbean meteorology organization.

• It is situated in the region providing service to the Caribbean countries.

• It receives data from weather patterns for transmission to the other CARICOM states.

Health• The Caribbean Epidemiology Centre which

started in Dominica 1973.

• At the time it help to fight against communicable diseases such as poliomyelitis ,typoid and cholera which was a threat to the nationals of the region.

CEHI Caribbean Environmental health institute

• Testing the quality of drinking water.• Collection and treatment of water• Finding solutions for the disposal of toxic waste. Agriculture Caribbean agriculture and research

development institute• Over the years problems have stifled the sector resulting in

a high food import bill.• CARDI lowers costs of production in agricultureEstablishing

farming techniques to meet the needs of small farmers.

FAILURES OF CARICOM

• Some member states have not yet passed legislation to replace the privy Council with the Caribbean court of justice.

• Conflict has arisen on several occasions because member states fail to cooperate in exploring common resources.

• The west Indies shipping Corporation which was formed to facilitate trade among the CARICOM member states has been plagued with problems since its corporation.

conclusion

• Regional integration has proven to be a very good development path for the member states of

• the OECS. To a great extent regionalism has focused on economic management of the

• islands, but its benefits can be seen in other areas. We have been able to speak with one

• voice at the level of CARICOM and at the international level. We have proven that by

• joining together in a number of areas, there can be gains that we would not have achieved on

• our own. Regionalism has contributed to the development and sustainability of our

• democratic system of government. It has also been responsible for our economic growth and

• stability. This stability has spared much of the social strife associated with unstable

• economies. The steps towards deepening regional integration, with the introduction of

• freedom of movement, will only make our region stronger as we face the future.

refrences• http://www.eccb-centralbank.org/PDF/

newspaper3.pdf• http://www.caricom.org/jsp/community/

west_indies_federation.jsp?menu=community• • http://www.sice.oas.org/TPD/CAR_EU/

Studies/CRSCARICOM_Challenges_e.pdf•