Elizabeth Morgan | CARICOM and the OACPS: Collaborating on global challenges

The Organization of African, Caribbean and Pacific States (OACPS), in its relationship with the Caribbean, engages in the context of the OACPS Caribbean Forum (CARIFORUM), which includes Cuba and the Dominican Republic.

CARIFORUM operates out of the Secretariat of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) and shares its secretary general. The OACPS does not usually engage with CARICOM as a separate group, although CARICOM member states are members of CARIFORUM.

At the 43rd CARICOM Heads of Government Conference in Suriname one of the guests was the Secretary General of the OACPS, Georges Chikoti. This is an interesting development.

I must commend the UWI Diplomatic Academy of the Caribbean and the Caribbean Group of Ambassadors in Brussels for hosting a webinar on ‘The Post-Cotonou EU-OACPS: A Caribbean Retrospective and Prospect’ which was held on July 7. It is not often that the academic community addresses matters related to the OACPS as an organisation and OACPS (CARIFORUM)/EU relations.

Ambassador Joy-Ann Skinner of Barbados, who is currently the CARICOM coordinator in Brussels, hoped that this webinar would be the start of rigorous debate in the region on issues related to the OACPS and OACPS/EU relations. Caribbean academics should be more focused on these foreign policy issues in which the Caribbean is directly engaged and has leadership positions.

As I have pointed out in previous articles, concerns for the region, CARICOM and CARIFORUM, must be the fact that the Post-Cotonou Agreement is yet to be signed, after more than a year, and the effectiveness of the CARIFORUM/EU Economic Partnership Agreement. On multilateral trade issues, CARICOM members have been active in the OACPS group at the World Trade Organization negotiations.

Chikoti’s statement

In his statement to CARICOM heads, Secretary General Chikoti spoke to:

1. Geopolitical challenges – Noting the need for the OACPS to work together to address the many challenges, including the pandemic and its impact, climate change, conflicts, food security, facing the members in a multipolar and interconnected world. He noted that many of these challenges were stemming from geopolitical change and alignment.

The conflict in Ukraine had further exposed the vulnerabilities of OACPS members who were suffering from reduced tourism, supply chain disruptions, and higher food, petroleum and fertiliser prices, which would lead to greater difficulties with financing.

2. OACPS-EU relations – The SG sees the unique partnership between the OACPS and the EU as important, having the potential to be a driving force in politics. While the future potential of the relationship is seen, there is concern that the Post-Cotonou Agreement is yet to be signed since it was initialled by the Lead Negotiators. The existing Cotonou Partnership Agreement has been extended to June 30, 2023. The EU is still to reach unanimity among its members on the signing.

3. 10th OACPS Summit in Luanda, Angola, December 6-10, 2022 – He looked to a demonstration of unity and solidarity as an organisation through the level of participation in the upcoming summit, the theme for which is ‘3 Continents, 3 Oceans, 1 Common Destiny: Building a resilient and sustainable OACPS’.

I would assume that in their meeting with the OACPS Secretary General, heads also discussed the implementation of the 2019 revised Georgetown Agreement aimed at strengthening the organisation and the restructuring of the OACPS Secretariat in Brussels, including the staffing, to ensure that all the regions are adequately represented. The financing of the OACPS is also an important matter.

For the OACPS to be a respected group in the international arena, it should be well structured and managed, attracting good technical staff, and thus able to be a strong alliance in its own right and in partnership with the EU in the interest of its members. Strengthening intra-OACPS relations should be a means of forging unity and solidarity within the organisation.

In the CARICOM Heads Communiqué, they noted the need to collaborate on addressing the global challenges; that the post-Cotonou Agreement had not yet been signed; and the need to collaborate on migration issues.

CARICOM heads are seeking the support of the OACPS on their reparation claims, but I have often wondered whether the matter of reparations was on the agenda in 1975 when the then ACP, former colonies, negotiated the first trade and development agreement, the Lomé Convention, with the then EEC, made up, at that time, of former colonisers, including Britain.

I would like to see further discussions at the UWI focused on the OACPS Georgetown Agreement, its implementation, the CARICOM/CARIFORUM relationship, the OACPS as a global influencer, and partnership with the EU, especially as the 10th summit is to be held in December.

Elizabeth Morgan is a specialist in international trade policy and international politics. Email feedback to columns@gleanerjm.com