Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States
The Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS; French: Organisation des États de la Caraïbe orientale, OECO) is an inter-governmental organisation dedicated to economic harmonisation and integration, protection of human and legal rights, and the encouragement of good governance between countries and territories in the Eastern Caribbean. It also performs the role of spreading responsibility and liability in the event of natural disaster.
Not to be confused with Association of Caribbean States.
Organisation of Eastern Caribbean StatesOrganisation des États de la Caraïbe orientale (French)
18 June 1981
21 January 2011
2,709 km2 (1,046 sq mi)
5,910 km2 (2,280 sq mi)
615,724
1,434,212
215.6/km2 (558.4/sq mi)
2017 estimate
- East Caribbean Dollar (Protocol members and Anguilla)
- US Dollar (British Virgin Islands)
- Euro (Guadeloupe, Martinique)
The administrative body of the OECS is the Commission, which is based in Castries, the capital of Saint Lucia.
OECS operates an economic union within the larger CARICOM economic union. Eight members operate as a currency union - the Eastern Caribbean Currency Union, using the Eastern Caribbean dollar.
History[edit]
OECS was created on 18 June 1981, with the Treaty of Basseterre, which was named after the capital city of St. Kitts and Nevis. OECS is the successor of the Leewards Islands' political organization known as the West Indies Associated States (WISA).
One prominent aspect of OECS economic bloc has been the accelerated pace of trans-national integration among its member states.
The seven protocol members of the OECS, as well as two of the four associate members—Anguilla and the British Virgin Islands—are either full or associate members of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) and were among the second group of countries that joined the CARICOM Single Market and Economy (CSME). Martinique is currently negotiating to become an associate member of the Caribbean Community.
Projects[edit]
Passport[edit]
A common OECS Passport was originally planned for January 1, 2003[2] but its introduction was delayed. At the 38th OECS Authority Meeting in January 2004, the Secretariat was mandated to have the two companies expressing an interest in producing the common passport (De La Rue Identity Systems and the Canadian Banknote Company[3]) make presentations at the next (39th) Authority Meeting.[4] At the 39th Meeting the critical issue of the relationship between the OECS passport and the CARICOM passport was discussed[3] and at the 40th OECS Authority Meeting in November 2004, the OECS Heads of Government agreed to give CARICOM a further 6 months (until May 2005) to introduce a CARICOM Passport. Failure to introduce the CARICOM Passport by that time would have resulted in the OECS moving ahead with its plans to introduce the OECS Passport.[5] As the CARICOM Passport was first introduced in January 2005 (by Suriname) then the idea of the OECS Passport was abandoned. Had the passport been introduced however it would not have been issued to Economic Citizens within the OECS states.[6]
It would also be unknown if the islands under British sovereignty would join the scheme.
Economic union[edit]
The decision to establish an economic union was taken by OECS Heads of Government at the 34th meeting of the Authority held in Dominica in July 2001. At the 35th meeting of the Authority in Anguilla in January 2002, the main elements of an economic union implementation project were endorsed. The project was expected to be implemented over a two-year period with seven of the nine OECS member states (i.e. Antigua and Barbuda, Dominica, Grenada, Montserrat, St. Kitts and Nevis, St. Lucia and St. Vincent and the Grenadines) participating in the economic union initiative. The remaining two member states, Anguilla and the British Virgin Islands, would not have participated immediately, but would have requested time to consider the issue further.[2] In 2003, work had been initiated on the central issue of the creation of new Treaty arrangements to replace the Treaty of Basseterre which established the OECS.[7] Among the elements of the project was the creation of a technical committee for a draft OECS Economic Union Treaty. This technical committee was inaugurated on May 4, 2004 and began designing the draft Treaty.[8]
Central Bank[edit]
Many of the OECS member-states are participants in the Eastern Caribbean Central Bank (ECCB) monetary authority. The regional central bank oversees financial and banking integrity for the Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States economic bloc of states. Part of the bank's oversight is maintaining the financial integrity of the East Caribbean dollar (XCD). Of all OECS member-states, only the British Virgin Islands, Guadeloupe and Martinique do not use the East Caribbean dollar as their de facto native currency.
All other members belong to the Eastern Caribbean Currency Union.
Security[edit]
The OECS sub-region has a military support unit known as the Regional Security System (RSS). It is made up of the independent countries of the OECS along with Barbados and Guyana. The unit is based in the island of Barbados and receives funding and training from various countries including the United States, Canada and the People's Republic of China.
Health – Pharmaceutical Procurement Service[edit]
The Pharmaceutical Procurement Service, also known as the Eastern Caribbean Drug Service, procures medicines and allied health equipment on behalf of the member States. It has an 840 item product portfolio based on the regional formulary.[62] it is said to generate savings of $5 million a year.[63]
Symbols, Flag and logo[edit]
The flag and logo of the OECS consists of a complex pattern of concentric design elements on a pale green field, focused on a circle of nine inwardly pointed orange triangles and nine outwardly pointed white triangles. It was adopted June 21, 2006, and first raised on that day at Basseterre, St. Kitts and Nevis.[64] [65]