Home »

The 30th annual Conference on the Caribbean Basin opens in Miami on Monday, December 4

MIAMI (JIS)

Friday, December 01, 2006

The 30th annual Conference on the Caribbean Basin opens in Miami on Monday (December 4), with over 700 delegates from the Caribbean and Central American region participating in the three-day summit.

Themed, 'A United Third Border', the conference agenda will, this year, focus specifically on the status of the Caribbean Free Trade Area and the Caribbean Single Market and Economy and their influence on economic growth and employment in the region.

The conference will convene at the Intercontinental Hotel in Miami, and through plenary sessions and roundtable discussions, delegates comprising Caribbean leaders as well as private and public sector officials will address several industry topics relevant to the area, including trade, economic development, transportation and security, telecommunications, health, environment and labour, among others.

Other topics of special interest to regional leaders will include the Western Hemisphere Passport Initiative, the impact of energy and regional competitiveness.

Caribbean leaders expected at this year's summit will include Prime Minister Portia Simpson Miller; Prime Minister Owen Arthur of Barbados; and Presidents Preval and Fernandez of Haiti and the Dominican Republic, respectively.

The conference will be hosted by the Caribbean-Central American Action (CCAA).