Understanding International Trade was produced by the OECS Trade Policy project for students, business people and the public as a whole. It explains in an easy to read manner, the operation of the trading system from the perspective of the Eastern Caribbean.

Head of the OECS Economic Affairs Division Randy Cato said the book was needed to help the region appreciate the impact of trade and understand  trade arrangements to the extent to which they form  part of the development process of our Member States.

Cato told the audience, which included students from the Sir Arthur Lewis Community College, that there is a very clear link between trade and development and its vital importance to the survival of the open OECS economies in areas such as goods and services.

“By producing and selling we enable our economies to grow because our economies must now expand in terms of its capacity to produce the things that we can sell and we then utilize the resources at our disposal in our economies to do that production and enable us to sell and so we earn from that by   selling and by earning we generate revenues to address a whole range of matters in the context of development.”-Cato

Cato commended the determination of the former head of the OECS Trade Policy Project, Charles Cadet to ensure that the publication was among the accomplishments of the project. Cadet presented copies of the publication to representatives of the Sir Arthur Lewis Community College and the University of the West Indies School of Continuing Studies.

Media houses present at the opening ceremony were also given a copy of the publication. Interestingly one student heading to the UWI Cave Hill Campus for studies in International Trade expressed her delight that such a publication was produced by the OECS Secretariat.

“I am flying out for University today and my husband asked me to get a copy after hearing about the book launch on the news.” she said.

Cato also commended the author behind the publication, former OECS Ambassador to Brussels, St. Lucian Mr. Edwin Laurent. The production was coordinated by the CIDA-funded OECS Trade Policy Project.  The preface was written by UWI Professor of International Relations of the Caribbean, Dr. Vaughn Lewis, and the foreword by the OECS Director General Dr. Len Ishmael.