Assistant Secretary-General (ASG) Trade and Economic Integration at the CARICOM Secretariat, Ambassador Irwin LaRocque on Monday underscored the importance of timely delivery of Aid for Trade (AfT) resources to economies such as those in CARICOM.
Speaking on behalf of CARICOM at the Third Global Review of Aid for Trade in Geneva, ASG LaRocque said that International Development Partners (IDPs) needed to be convinced of the “imperative of delivering AfT resources in a time-sensitive manner,” according to a press release from the CARICOM Secretariat at Turkeyen.
“We need their understanding on the magnitude of the adjustment task facing small, vulnerable, highly indebted economies like ours. We are confident that they will not only hear us, but that they will respond positively and expeditiously,” LaRocque is quoted as saying.
Placing his comments in the context of the pursuit of strengthened regional integration as CARICOM’s primary policy response to the current global economic crisis, LaRocque recounted the steps the Community had taken to establish the institutional framework for the CARICOM Single Market and Economy (CSME), and the position it was taking to realign economic relations with major trading and development partners.
“Far from standing still, we are forging ahead with strengthening regional integration, while seeking to recalibrate the multilateral trading system in a manner that takes full cognizance of the development needs of small, vulnerable and poor economies. We are also attempting to enhance our global competitiveness. We have an ambitious but necessary trade agenda.
