St. Vincent and the Grenadines will host the 39 th Meeting of OECS Heads of Government, May 20-21.

Heads of the nine OECS Member States face a packed agenda of wide ranging issues.

Key among them is advancing the OECS Economic Union process. The Meeting will receive a report on plans for a new Treaty to more adequately provide for deeper integration of the sub-regional organization. It will also get an update on how the constitutional review process in the Member States fits into the movement towards an Economic Union.

Two companies will make presentations to the Meeting on design features for an OECS passport, and there will be a consultant report on a proposed OECS Prison service.

Delagates at the 38th meeting of the OECS Authority

Economic development issues are also high on the agenda. Heads will receive recommendations coming out of the recent inaugural meeting of the OECS Council of Tourism Ministers. They will consider proposals for greater collaboration in the yachting sector and the promotion of an Eastern Caribbean shared space for the sector.

The Heads will also deliberate on a plan of action for the OECS agriculture sector.

The meeting will discuss policy issues related to air transportation, energy, ICT, and energy resource management. It will also receive plans for the creation of an OECS Business Forum.

Heads will be given an assessment of performance of the OECS School system and a presentation on the Caribbean Knowledge and Learning Network.

The Meeting will also discuss strategic issues in the ongoing external trade negotiations for the Caricom Single Market and Economy (CSME), World Trade Organisation (WTO), Free Trade Area of the Americas (FTAA), and European Partnership Agreements (EPA).

The OECS Judicial and Legal Reform project will be one of several legal matters before the Heads.

The nine OECS Member States are Antigua/Barbuda, Dominica, Grenada, Montserrat, St. Kitts/Nevis, St. Lucia, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, Anguilla and the British Virgin Islands.

Contact:

Kendol Morgan Senior Communications Officer OECS Secretariat This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

Raymond O’Keiffe Comm. Officer email: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it or This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it