Myrna C. Bernard

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Myrna C. Bernard Director, Human
Development CARICOM Secretariat
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The Caribbean Community

• 15 Member States
• Antigua and Barbuda, The Bahamas, Barbados,
  Belize, Dominica, Grenada, Guyana, Haiti,
  Jamaica, Montserrat, St Kitts and Nevis, Saint
  Lucia, St Vincent and the Grenadines, Suriname,
  and Trinidad and Tobago.
• 5 Associate Members
• Anguilla, Bermuda, Cayman Islands, British
  Virgin Islands and the Turks and Caicos Islands.

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Decision Making

• Conference of Heads of Government
• Community Council
• Ministerial Councils
• COHSOD (Human Soc Devpt )
• COTED (Trade and Econ Devpt)
• COFAP (Finance Planning)
• COFCOR (Foreign Community
• Relations)
• CONSLE (National Security and Law
• Enforcement)

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Quasi Cabinet

• At the Regional level, the Conference of Heads of
  Government has designated lead portfolio
  responsibilities to Heads of Government in what
  is termed the regional Quasi-Cabinet. Grenada
  currently holds the portfolio for Science and
  Technology. St Kitts and Nevis for Health and
  Human Resource Development, Dominica for Labour
  and Suriname for Culture, Youth and Gender.

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Responsibility for ST

• The Revised Treaty of Chaguaramas charges the
  Council for Trade and Economic Development
  (COTED) with responsibility for Science and
  Technology, especially as it relates to
  facilitating cooperation among researchers, the
  private sector, universities and institutions to
  promote measures for the accelerated development
  of science and technology the adaptation,

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COHSOD - COTED

• The importance of cross- sectoral attention to
  the issues of Science and Technology is
  recognized and The Council for Human and Social
  Development (COHSOD) which addresses the
  education and other social development aspects of
  the regions agenda works closely with the COTED
  in addressing several aspects of that agenda,
  especially through the systematizing of joint
  meetings of the two councils.

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The Single Market
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The CSME is intended to provide a platform and
enabling environment for a more effective
interface with the global economy
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The CSME
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KEY ELEMENTS OF THE CSME

• Free movement of Goods
• Free Movement of Skilled
• Free Movement of Services
• Free Movement of Capital

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The Single Economy
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The Human Face of the CSME
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Development Issues/Challenges

• Relatively high rates of poverty in some Member
  States
• Vulnerability to natural disasters
• NCDs, HIV/AIDS
• Less than optimum output from education system /
  Disenchantment of males re formal education
• Characteristics of employment
• Loss of trained human resources

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Regional STI Policy Framework Science,
Technology Innovationfor Sustainable
Development

• Spearheaded by CCST
• Approved by Joint COHSOD COTED in January,
  2008
• Intended to guide the regions policy and
  decision-makers on building STI capacity to meet
  the pressing new demands of the knowledge-driven
  era.
• Reflects output of eighteen months of public
  consultations held in ten MS with the
  participation of the regions top academic and
  technical advisors as well as stakeholders from
  all interest groups.

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PRIORITY POLICY AREAS

• Agriculture and the Food Sector
• Biotechnology and Biosafety
• Environmental Management
• Coastal and Marine Resources Management
• Waste Management
• Integrated Water Resources Management
• Alternative Energy and Energy Management
• Disaster Preparedness
• Health
• Sustainable Tourism
• Development of Small, Medium and Micro
  Enterprises
• Information and Communication Technology

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SUPPORTING INSTITUTIONS MECHANISMS

• Infrastructure
• Policy and Planning
• Development Finance
• Innovation and Entrepreneurship
• Standardisation
• Development
• Science and Technology Education
• Research and Development
• Regulatory Framework and Intellectual Property
  Rights

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Institutions of the Community

• The Revised Treaty identifies several agencies
  as Institutions of the Community, among them
• Caribbean Disaster Emergency Response Agency
  (CDERA)
• Caribbean Meteorological Institute (CMI)
• Caribbean Meteorological Organisation (CMO)
• Caribbean Environmental Health Institute (CEHI)
• Caribbean Agricultural Research and Development
  Institute (CARDI)

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CARICOM InstitutionsFunctional Cooperation

• Institutionalised Meetings
• Not limited to institutions identified in the
  Treaty
• Two in the past year
• Main thrust of mandates and Work Programmes
  identified
• Opportunities for collaboration delineated

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Specialised Institutions

• Other institutions have been established to deal
  with specific issues
• CROSQ
• The Caribbean Community Climate Change Centre
  CCCC, located in Belize.
• Establishment of Caribbean Public Health Agency
  (CARPHA) is now under discussion
• Single governance and institutional arrangement
  the functions of the five RHIs
• The Caribbean Knowledge and Learning Network
  (CKLN ) networking tertiary education
  institutions to address, inter alia quality
  assurance and, increased access through distance
  and open learning, using ICTs.

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Universities and Professional Bodies

• UWI and UG Associate institutions
• CCST
• CARISCIENCE
• Caribbean Academy of Science
• UWI main centre for Research in the Region
• Need for more collaborative research among
  institutions around an agreed regional Agenda

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Funding for Research

• Perennial challenge
• Arrangements for Regional fund being explored
• Diaspora Association Launched Sept 2008

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Res IST

• Novel Approach
• Cross sectoral research often contemplated but
  not followed through
• Several axes of inequality identified during this
  meeting
• Further opportunity for functional cooperation to
  address aspects of development challenges
  identified

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Preliminary Suggestions

• Gender issues in Science and Technology Teaching
• Structure of tertiary education / employment
  opportunities in Caribbean societies
• Diffusion and use of ICTs (gender, socio-economic
  status)
• Impact of loss of human resources in Education
  and Health on access to primary health care

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